Copyright 1950, 1970, 1976, 1980 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Esslemont, John Ebenezer,
1874-1925. Bahá'u'lláh and the new era.
Bibliography:p. Includes
index. 1. Bahá'ísm. 2. Bahá Ullah, 1817-1892.
I. Title. BP365.E8
1980 ..................297'.89..................80-24305
First edition,
George Allen Unwin Ltd., London, 1923 First revised edition, Bahá'í Publishing
Committee, New York, 1937 Second revised edition, Bahá'í Publishing Committee,
Wilmette, 1950 Third revised edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1970
Fourth revised paper edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1976 Fourth
revised cloth edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1980 Fifth revised
paper edition, Bahá'í Publishing Trust, Wilmette, 1980
Printed in the
United States of America
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Contents
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Prefaces
to Baha'u'llah and the New Era
Preface
to 1937 Edition
With the publication of "Baha'u'llah and the New Era" more than ten years ago,
the Bahá'í Faith was given its first well- conceived, thorough exposition by a
student of the teachings. Recognizing its value as the most satisfactory introduction
to the Cause, Bahá'ís in both East and West have found Dr. Esslemont's book so
helpful that it has been translated into some thirty different languages. As
Dr. Esslemont himself recognized, the Faith entered a new phase of its history
after the ascension of Abdu'l-Baha. The result is that the author's views, some
of them written prior to 1921, no longer, on certain aspects of the subject, correspond
to the evolutionary character of the Faith. His treatment of events and social
conditions then existing, moreover, no longer appears fully relevant. Unavoidably,
a few errors of fact had entered his text, while his explanation of the stations
of the Bab and of Abdu'l-Baha have been replaced in the minds of Bahá'ís by the
authoritative interpretations since made by the first Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi
Effendi. The
present edition therefore represents a revision made by the American National
Spiritual Assembly, acting under the advice and approval of Shoghi Effendi. These
revisions in no respect alter the original plan of Dr. Esselmont's book, nor affect
the major portion of his text. Their purpose has been to amplify the author's
discussion in a few passages by the addition of material representing the fuller
knowledge available since his lamented death, and newer translations of his quotations
from Bahá'í Sacred Writings. Bahá'í Publishing Committee January, 1937
Preface
to 1950 Edition
With this edition the American Bahá'í Publishing Committee takes over copyright
and other interests in "Baha'u'llah and the New Era" from Messrs. George Allen
Unwin Ltd., of London, England, through whom the late Dr. J. E. Esslemont published
his famous book more than twenty years ago. Under arrangement with the British
publishers, the Committee has since 1928 brought out eleven printings, in addition
to the first American edition imported by Brentano's of New York. This
edition does not displace the text as it has appeared since major revision was
made in the book under the direction of the Guardian of the Faith in 1937, as
the time has not come for anything like a thorough recasting of the book to make
its references to world conditions completely contemporaneous. Dr. Esslemont's
work endures as a trustworthy introduction to the history and teachings of the
Bahá'í Faith. Its translation into some thirty different languages attests its
appeal to students in the East as well as the West. It
should be added that any further revision of the text in the future is subject
to approval by Shoghi Effendi. The Committee has no authority to pass upon revisions
which may be desired by Bahá'ís of other countries for their particular need.
Bahá'í Publishing Committee December, 1950
Preface to 1970 Edition
Since 1937 no revision
has been made to the text of Dr. Esslemont's book, although in 1950 some minor
corrections were introduced. On the other hand, the diffusion and development
of the Bahá'í Faith since that time have been tremendous, and there has been added
to Bahá'í bibliography a rich legacy of incomparable expositions, translations
and historical accounts from the pen of Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Faith
and the appointed interpreter of its Sacred Writings. It
has therefore been deemed necessary to bring the book up to date in order to maintain
its usefulness for modern readers. This has been done with a minimum of alteration
to the text, and chiefly by the use of footnotes and of an epilogue giving the
current statistics and new developments in the organic unfoldment of the Bahá'í
Faith. Dr. Esslemont's
book continues to be one of the most widely used introductory books on the Bahá'í
Faith, as evidenced by the fact that since 1937 the number of its translations
has increased from thirty to fifty-eight. Bahá'í Publishing Trust
Introduction
In
December 1914, through a conversation with friends who had met Abdu'l-Bahá, and
the loan of a few pamphlets, I first became acquainted with the Bahá'í teachings.
I was at once struck by their comprehensiveness, power and beauty. They impressed
me as meeting the great needs of the modern world more fully and satisfactorily
than any other presentation of religion which I had come across -- an impression
which subsequent study has only served to deepen and confirm.
In
seeking for fuller knowledge about the movement I found considerable difficulty
in obtaining the literature I wanted, and soon conceived the idea of putting together
the gist of what I learned in the form of a book, so that it might be more easily
available for others. When communication with Palestine was reopened after the
war, I wrote to Abdu'l-Bahá and enclosed a copy of the first nine chapters of
the book, which was then almost complete in rough draft. I received a very kind
and encouraging reply, and a cordial invitation to visit Him in Haifa and bring
the whole of my manuscript with me. The invitation was gladly accepted, and I
had the great privilege of spending two and a half months as the guest of Abdu'l-Bahá
during the winter of 1919-1920. During this visit Abdu'l-Bahá discussed the book
with me on various occasions. He gave several valuable suggestions for its improvement
and proposed that, when I had revised the manuscript, He would have the whole
of it translated into Persian so that He could read it through and amend or correct
it where necessary. The revisal and translation were carried out as suggested,
and Abdu'l-Bahá found time, amid His busy life, to correct some three and a half
chapters (Chapters I, II, V and part of III) before He passed away. It is a matter
of profound regret to met that Abdu'l-Bahá was not able to complete the correction
of the manuscript, as the value of the book would thereby have been greatly enhanced.
The whole of the manuscript has been carefully revised, however, by a committee
of the National Bahá'í Assembly of England1, and its publication approved by that
Assembly.
I am greatly indebted to Miss E. J. Rosenberg, Mrs. Claudia S. Coles,
Mirza Lutfu'llah S. Hakim, Messrs. Roy Wilhelm and Mountfort Mills and many other
kind friends for valuable help in the preparation of the work.
As regards the
transliteration of Arabic and Persian names and words, the system adopted in this
book is that recently recommended by Shoghi Effendi for use throughout the Bahá'í
World. J. E. ESSLEMONT
1 The first publication of Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era was in 1923, and at that
time there was a National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of England; however,
the name of the institution was subsequently changed in 1930 to the
National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the British Isles, and more
recently to its present designation of the National Spiritual Assembly of the
Bahá'ís of the United Kingdom.
Chapter 1
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter One: The Glad
TidingsThe
Promised One of all the peoples of the world hath appeared. All peoples and communities
have been expecting a Revelation, and He, Baha'u'llah, is the foremost teacher
and educator of all mankind. -- ABDU'L-BAHA.
The
Greatest Event in History
If we study the story of the "ascent of man" as recorded in the pages of history,
it becomes evident that the leading factor in human progress is the advent, from
time to time, of men who pass beyond the accepted ideas of their day and become
the discoverers and revealers of truths hitherto unknown among mankind. The inventor,
the pioneer, the genius, the Prophet -- these are the men on whom the transformation
of world primarily depends. As Carlyle says: -- The
plain truth, very plain, we think is, that ... one man that has a higher Wisdom,
a hitherto unknown spiritual Truth in him, is stronger, not than ten men that
have it not, or than ten thousand, but than all men that have it not; and stands
among them with a quite ethereal, angelic power, as with a sword out of Heaven's
own armory, sky-tempered, which no buckler, and no tower of brass, will finally
withstand. -- Sign of the Times
In the history of science, of art, of music, we see abundant illustrations of
this truth, but in no domain is the supreme importance of the great man and his
message more clearly evident than in that of religion. All down the ages, whenever
the spiritual life of men has become degenerate and their morals corrupt, that
most wonderful and mysterious of men, the Prophet, makes His appearance. Alone
against the world, without a single human being capable of teaching, of guiding,
of fully understanding Him, or of sharing His responsibility, He
arises, like a seer among blind men, to proclaim His gospel of righteousness and
truth. Amongst
the Prophets some stand out with special pre-eminence. Every few centuries a great
Divine Revealer -- a Krishna, a Zoroaster, a Moses, a Jesus, a Muhammad -- appears
in the East, like a spiritual Sun, to illumine the darkened minds of men and awaken
their dormant souls. Whatever our views as to the relative greatness of these
religion-founders we must admit that They have been the most potent factors in
the education of mankind. With one accord these Prophets declare that the words
They utter are not from "Themselves, but are a Revelation through Them, a Divine
message of which They are the bearers. Their recorded utterances abound, too,
in hints and promises of a great world teacher Who will appear "in the fullness
of time" to carry on Their work and bring it to fruition, One Who will establish
a reign of peace and justice upon earth, and bring into one family all races,
religions, nations, and tribes, that "there may be one fold and one shepherd"
and that all may know and love God "from the least even unto the greatest." Surely
the advent of this "Educator of Mankind," in the latter days, when He appears,
must be the greatest event in human history. And the Bahá'í Movement is proclaiming
to the world the glad tidings that this Educator has in fact appeared, that His
Revelation has been delivered and recorded and may be studied by every earnest
seeker, that the "Day of the Lord" has already dawned and the "Sun or Righteousness"
arisen. As yet only a few on the mountaintops have caught sight of the Glorious
Orb, but already its rays are illumining heaven and earth, and erelong it will
rise above the mountains and shine with full strength on the plains and valleys
too, giving life and guidance to all.
The
Changing World
That the world, during the nineteenth and the early
part of the twentieth centuries,1
has been passing through the death
pangs of an old era and the birth pangs of a new, is
evident to all. The old principles of materialism and
self-interest, the old sectarian and patriotic prejudices
and animosities, are perishing, discredited, amidst
the ruins they have wrought, and in all lands we see
signs of a new spirit of faith, of brotherhood, of internationalism,
that is bursting the old bonds and overrunning the old
boundaries. Revolutionary changes of unprecedented magnitude
have been occurring in every department of human life.
The old era is not yet dead. It is engaged in a life
and death struggle with the new. Evils there are in
plenty, gigantic and formidable, but they are being
exposed, investigated, challenged and attacked with
new vigor and hope. Clouds there are in plenty, vast
and threatening, but the light is breaking through,
and is illumining the path of progress and revealing
the obstacles and pitfalls that obstruct the onward
way.
In
the eighteenth century it was different. Then the spiritual and moral gloom that
enshrouded the world was relieved by hardly a ray of light. It was like the darkest
hour before the dawn, when the few lamps and candles that remain alight do little
more than make the darkness visible. Carlyle in his Frederick the Great writes
of the eighteenth century thus: -- A
century which has no history and can have little or none. A century so opulent
in accumulated falsities ... as never century before was! Which had no longer
the consciousness of being false, so false had it grown; and was so steeped in
falsity, and impregnated with it to the very bone, that -- in fact the measure
of the thing was full, and a French Revolution had to end it. ... A very fit termination,
as I thankfully fell, for such a century. ... For there was need once more of
a Divine Revelation to the torpid, frivolous children of men, if they were not
to sink altogether into the ape condition. -- Frederick the Great, Book I, Chap.
I.
Compared with the eighteenth century the present time is as the dawn after darkness,
or as the spring after winter. The world is stirring with new life, thrilling
with new ideals and hopes. Things that but a few years ago seemed impossible dreams
are now accomplished facts. Others that seemed centuries ahead of us have already
become matters of "practical politics." We fly in the air and make voyages under
the sea. We send messages around the world with the speed of lightning. Within
a few decades we have seen miracles too numerous to mention.
The
Sun of Righteousness
What is the cause of this sudden awakening throughout the world? Bahá'ís believe
that it is due to a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit through the Prophet Baha'u'llah,
Who was born in Persia in 1817 and passed away in the Holy Land in 1892. Baha'u'llah
taught that the Prophet, or "Manifestation of God," is the Light-bringer of the
spiritual world, as the sun is the light-bringer of the natural world. Just as
the material sun shines over the earth and causes the growth and development of
material organisms, so also, through the Divine Manifestation, the Sun of Truth
shines upon the world of heart and soul, and educates the thoughts, morals and
characters of men. And just as the rays of the natural sun have an influence which
penetrates into the darkest and shadiest corners of the world, giving warmth and
life even to creatures that have never seen the sun itself, so also, the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit through the Manifestation of God influences the lives of all,
and inspires receptive minds even in places and among peoples where the name of
the Prophet is quite unknown. The advent of the Manifestation is like the coming
of the Spring. It is a day of Resurrection in which the spiritually dead are raised
to new life, in which the Reality of the Divine Religions is renewed and reestablished,
in which appear "new heaves and a new earth." But,
in the world of nature, the Spring brings about not only the growth and awakening
of new life but also the destruction and removal of the old and effete; for the
same sun, that makes the flowers to spring and the trees to bud, causes also the
decay and disintegration of what is dead and useless; it loosens the ice and melts
the snow of winter, and sets free the flood and the storm that cleanse and purify
the earth. So is it also in the spiritual world. The spiritual sunshine causes
similar commotion and change. Thus the Day of Resurrection is also the Day of
Judgment, in which corruptions and imitations of the truth and outworn ideas and
customs are discarded and destroyed, in which the ice and snow of prejudice and
superstition, which accumulated during the season of winter, are melted and transformed,
and energies long frozen and pent up are released to flood and renovate the world.
The Mission
of Baha'u'llah
Baha'u'llah
declared, plainly and repeatedly, that He was the long-expected educator and teacher
of all peoples, the channel of a wondrous Grace that would transcend all previous
outpourings, in which all previous forms of religion would become merged, as rivers
merge in the ocean. He laid a foundation which affords a firm basis for Unity
throughout the whole world and the inauguration of that glorious age of peace
on earth, goodwill among men, of which prophets have told and poets sung. Search
after truth, the oneness of mankind, unity of religions, of races, of nations,
of East and West, the reconciliation of religion and science, the eradication
of prejudices and superstitions, the equality of men and women, the establishment
of justice and righteousness, the setting up of a supreme international tribunal,
the unification of languages, the compulsory diffusion of knowledge -- these,
and many other teachings like these, were revealed by the pen of Baha'u'llah during
the latter half of the nineteenth century in innumerable books and epistles several
of which were addressed to the Kings and Rulers of the world.
His message, unique in its comprehensiveness and scope, is wonderfully in accord
with the signs and needs of the times. Never were the new problems confronting
men so gigantic and complex as now. Never were the proposed solutions so numerous
and conflicting. Never was the need of a great world teacher so urgent or so widely
felt. Never, perhaps, was the expectancy of such a teacher so confident or so
general.
Fulfillment
of Prophecies
Abdu'l-Baha writes: --
When
Christ appeared, twenty centuries ago, although the Jews were eagerly awaiting
His Coming, and prayed ever day, with tears, saying: "O God, hasten the Revelation
of the Messiah," yet when the Sun of Truth dawned, they denied Him and rose against
Him with the greatest enmity, and eventually crucified that divine Spirit, the
Word of God, and named Him Beelzebub, the evil one, as is recorded in the Gospel.
The reason for this was that they said: "The Revelation of Christ, according to
the clear text of the Torah, will be attested by certain signs, and so long as
these signs have not appeared, whoso layeth claim to be a Messiah is an impostor.
Among these signs is this, that the Messiah should come for an unknown place,
yet we all know this man's house in Nazareth, and can any good thing come out
of Nazareth? The second sign is that He shall rule with a rod of iron, that is,
He must act with the sword, but this Messiah has not even a wooden staff. Another
of the conditions and signs is this: He must sit upon the throne of David and
establish David's sovereignty. Now, far from being enthroned, this man has not
even a mat to sit on. Another of the conditions is this: the promulgation of all
the laws of the Torah; yet this man has abrogated these laws, and has even broken
the sabbath day, although it is the clear text of the Torah that whosoever layeth
claim to prophethood and revealeth miracles and breaketh the sabbath day, must
be put to death. Another of the signs is this, that in His reign justice will
be so advanced that righteousness and well-doing will extend from the human even
to the animal world -- the snake and the mouse will share one hold, and the eagle
and the partridge one nest, the lion and the gazelle shall dwell in one pasture,
and the wolf and the kid shall drink from one fountain. Yet now, injustice and
tyranny have waxed so great in his time that they have
crucified him! Another of the conditions is this, that in the days of the Messiah
the Jews will prosper and triumph over all the peoples of the world, but now they
are living in the utmost abasement and servitude in the Empire of the Romans.
Then how can this be the Messiah promised in the Torah? In
this wise did they object to that Sun of Truth, although that Spirit of God was
indeed the One promised in the Torah. But as they did not understand the meaning
of these signs, they crucified the Word of God. Now the Bahá'ís hold that the
recorded signs did come to pass in the Manifestation of Christ, although not in
the sense which the Jews understood, the description in the Torah being allegorical.
For instance, among the signs is that of sovereignty. For Bahá'ís say that the
sovereignty of Christ was a heavenly, divine, everlasting sovereignty, not a Napoleonic
sovereignty that vanisheth in a short time. For well-nigh two thousand years this
sovereignty of Christ hath been established, and until now it endureth, and to
all eternity that Holy Being will be exalted upon an ever-lasting throne. In
like manner all the other signs have been made manifest, but the Jews did not
understand. Although nearly twenty centuries have elapsed since Christ appeared
with divine splendor, yet the Jews are still awaiting the coming of the Messiah
and regard themselves as true and Christ as false. -- Written by Abdu'l-Baha for
this chapter.
Had the Jews applied to Christ He would have explained to them the true meaning
of the prophecies concerning Himself. Let us profit by their example, and before
deciding that the prophecies concerning the Manifestation of the Latter-Day Teacher
have not been fulfilled, let us turn to what Baha'u'llah Himself has written regarding
their interpretation, for many of the prophecies are admittedly "sealed" sayings,
and the True Educator Himself is the only One Who can break the seals and show
the real meaning contained in the casket of words. Baha'u'llah
has written much in explanation of the prophecies of old, but it is not on these
that He depends for proof of His Prophethood. The sun is its own proof, to all
that have the power of perception. When it rises we need no ancient predictions
to assure us of its shining. So with the Manifestation of God when He appears.
Were all the former prophecies swept into oblivion, He would still be His own
abundant and sufficient proof to all whose spiritual sense are open.
Proofs
of Prophethood
Baha'u'llah asked no one to accept His statements and His tokens blindly. On the
contrary, He put in the very forefront of His teachings emphatic warnings against
blind acceptance of authority, and urged all to open their eyes and ears, and
use their own judgement, independently and fearlessly, in order to ascertain the
truth. He enjoined the fullest investigation and never concealed Himself, offering,
as the supreme proofs of His Prophethood, His words and works and their effects
in transforming the lives and characters of men. The tests He proposed are the
same as those laid down by His great predecessors. Moses said: --
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor
come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet
hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. -- Deut. xviii,
22.
Christ put His test just as plainly, and appealed to it in proof of His own claim.
He said: --
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit;
but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ... Wherefore by their fruits ye
shall know them. -- Matt. vii, 15-17, 20
In the chapters that follow, we shall endeavor to show whether Baha'u'llah's claim
to Prophethood stands or falls by application of these tests: whether the things
that He had spoken have followed and come to pass, and whether His fruits have
been good or evil; in other words, whether His prophecies are being fulfilled
and His ordinances established, and whether His lifework has contributed to the
education and upliftment of humanity and the betterment of morals, or the contrary.
Difficulties
of Investigation
There are, of course, difficulties in the way of the student who seeks to get
at the truth about this Cause. Like all great moral and spiritual reformations,
the Bahá'í Faith has been grossly misrepresented. About the terrible persecutions
and sufferings of Baha'u'llah and His followers, both friends and enemies are
in entire agreement. About the value of the Movement, however, and the character
of its Founders, the statements of the believers and the accounts of the deniers
are utterly at variance. It is just as in the time of Christ. Concerning the crucifixion
of Jesus and the persecution and martyrdom of His followers both Christian and
Jewish historians are in agreement, but whereas the believers say that Christ
fulfilled and developed the teachings of Moses and the prophets, the deniers declare
that He broke the laws and ordinances and was worthy of death.
In
religion, as in science, truth reveals her mysteries
only to the humble and reverent seeker, who is ready
to lay aside every prejudice and superstition -- to
sell all that he has, in order that he may buy the "one
pearl of great price." To understand the Bahá'í
Faith in its full significance, we must undertake its
study in the spirit of sincere and selfless devotion
to truth, persevering in the path of search and relying
on divine guidance. In the Writings of its Founders
we shall find the master key to the mysteries of this
great spiritual awakening, and the ultimate criterion
of its value. Unfortunately, here again there are difficulties
in the way of the student who is unacquainted with the
Persian and Arabic languages in which the teachings
are written. Only a small proportion of the Writings
has been translated into English, and many of the translations
which have appeared leave much to be desired, both in
accuracy and style. But despite the imperfection and
inadequacy of historical narratives and translations,
the greatest essential truths which form the massive
and firm foundations of this Cause stand out like mountains
from the mists of uncertainty.1
Aim
of Book
The endeavor in the following chapters will be to set forth, as far as possible,
fairly and without prejudice, the salient features of the history and more especially
of the teachings of the Bahá'í Cause, so that readers may be enabled to form an
intelligent judgment as to their importance, and perhaps be induced to search
into the subject more deeply for themselves. Search
after truth, however, important though it be, is not the whole aim and end of
life. The truth is no dead thing, to be placed in a museum when found -- to be
labeled, classified, catalogued, exhibited and left there, dry and sterile. It
is something vital which must take root in men's hearts and bear fruit in their
lives ere they reap the full reward of their search.
The real object, therefore, in spreading the knowledge of a prophetic revelation
is that those who become convinced of its truth may proceed to practice its principles,
to "lead the life" and diffuse the glad tidings, thus hastening the advent of
that blessed day when God's Will shall be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Footnotes:
Page 2: 1. Written shortly after the First World War.
[back] Page 10:
1. There are now the incomparable translations by Shoghi Effendi
from the Persian and Arabic, of the Writings of Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha. These,
together with his own considerable writings covering the history of the Faith,
the statements and implications of its fundamental verities and the unfoldment
of its Administrative Order, make the modern inquirer's task infinitely easier
than in Dr. Esslemont's time. [back]
Chapter 2
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter
Two: The Bab:1
The Forerunner
Verily
the oppressor hath slain the Beloved of the worlds that he might thereby quench
the Light of God amidst His creatures and withhold mankind from the Stream of
Celestial Life in the days of his Lord, the Gracious, the Bountiful. -- BAHA'U'LLAH,
Tablet to Ra'is.
Birthplace
of the New Revelation
Persia, the birthplace of the Bahá'í Revelation, has occupied a unique place in
the history of the world. In the days of her early greatness she was a veritable
queen among nations, unrivaled in civilization, in power and in splendor. She
gave to the world great kings and statesmen, prophets and poets, philosophers
and artists. Zoroaster, Cyrus and Darius, Hafiz and Firdawsi, Sa'di and `Umar
Khayyam are but a few of her many famous sons. Her craftsmen were unsurpassed
in skill; her carpets were matchless, her steel blades unequaled, her pottery
world famous. In all parts of the Near and Middle East she has left traces of
her former greatness.
Yet,
in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries she had sunk
to a condition of deplorable degradation. Her ancient
glory seemed irretrievably lost. Her government was
corrupt and in desperate financial straits; some of
her rulers were feeble, and other monsters of cruelty.
Her priests were bigoted and intolerant, her people
ignorant and superstitious. Most of them belonged to
the Shi'ih sect,2
of Muhammadans, but there were also considerable numbers
of Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians,
of diverse and antagonistic sects. All professed to
follow sublime teachers who exhorted them to worship
the one God and to live in love and unity, yet they
shunned, detested and despised each other, each sect
regarding the others as unclean, as dogs or heathens.
Cursing and execration were indulged in to a fearful
extent. It was dangerous for a Jew or a Zoroastrian
to walk in the street on a rainy day, for if his wet
garment should touch a Muhammadan, the Muslim was defiled,
and the other might have to atone for the offense with
his life. If a Muhammadan took money from a Jew, Zoroastrian
or Christian he had to wash it before he could put it
in his pocket. If a Jew found his child giving a glass
of water to a poor Muhammadan beggar he would dash the
glass from the child's hand, for curses rather than
kindness should be the portion of infidels! The Muslims
themselves were divided into numerous sects, among whom
strife was often bitter and fierce. The Zoroastrians
did not join much in these mutual recriminations, but
lived in communities apart, refusing to associate with
their fellow countrymen of other faiths.
Social as well as religious affairs were in a state of hopeless decadence. Education
was neglected. Western science and art were looked upon as unclean and contrary
to religion. Justice was travestied. Pillage and robbery were of common occurrence.
Roads were bad and unsafe for travel. Sanitary arrangements were shockingly defective.
Yet, notwithstanding
all this, the light of spiritual life was not extinct in Persia. Here and there,
amid the prevailing worldliness and superstition, could still be found some saintly
souls, and in many a heart the longing for God was cherished, as in the hearts
of Anna and Simeon before the appearance of Jesus. Many were eagerly awaiting
the coming of a promised Messenger of God, and confident that the time of His
advent was at hand. Such was the state of affairs in Persia when the Bab, the
Herald of a new era, set all the country in commotion with His message. Early
Life
Mirza
Ali Muhammad, Who afterwards assumed the title of Bab
(i.e. Gate), was born at Shiraz, in the south of Persia,
on the 20th of October 1819 A.D.1
He was a Siyyid, that is, a descendant of the Prophet
Muhammad. His father, a well-known merchant, died soon
after His birth, and He was then placed under the care
of a maternal uncle, a merchant of Shiraz, who brought
Him up. In childhood He learned to read, and received
the elementary education customary for children.2
At the age of fifteen He went into business, at first
with His guardian, and afterward with another uncle
who lived at Bushihr, on the shore of the Gulf of Persia.
As
a youth He was noted for great personal beauty and charm of manner, and also for
exceptional piety, and nobility of character. He was unfailing in His observance
of the prayers, fasts and other ordinances of the Muhammadan religion, and not
only obeyed the letter, but lived in the spirit of the Prophet's teachings. He
married when about twenty-two years of age. Of this marriage one son was born,
who died while still an infant, in the first year of the Bab's public ministry. Declaration
On
reaching His twenty-fifth year, in response to divine
command, He declared that "God the Exalted had elected
Him to the station of Babhood." In "A Traveller's Narrative"1
we read that: -- "What he intended by the term Bab was
this, that he was the channel of grace from some great
Person still behind the veil of glory, who was the possessor
of countless and boundless perfections, by whose will
he moved, and to the bond of whose love he clung." --
A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the Bab), p. 3.
In
those days belief in the imminent appearance of a Divine
Messenger was especially prevalent among a sect known
as the Shaykhis, and it was to a distinguished divine
belonging to this sect, called Mulla Husayn Bushru'i,
that the Bab first announced His mission. The exact
date of this announcement is given in the Bayan, one
of the Bab's Writings, as two hours and eleven minutes
after sunset on the eve preceding the fifth day of the
month of Jamadiyu'l-Avval 1260 A.H.2
Abdu'l-Baha was born in the course of the same night,
but the exact hour of His birth has not been ascertained.
After some days of anxious investigation and study,
Mulla Husayn became firmly convinced that the Messenger
long expected by the Shi'ihs had indeed appeared. His
eager enthusiasm over this discovery was soon shared
by several of his friends. Before long the majority
of the Shaykhis accepted the Bab, becoming known as
Babis; and soon the fame of the young Prophet began
to spread like wildfire throughout the land.
Spread
of the Babi Movement
The first
eighteen disciples of the Bab (with Himself as nineteenth) became known as "Letters
of the Living." These
disciples He sent to different parts of Persia and Turkistan to spread the news
of His advent. Meantime He Himself set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where He
arrived in December 1844, and there openly declared His mission. On His return
to Bushihr great excitement was caused by the announcement of His Babhood. The
fire of His eloquence, the wonder of His rapid and inspired writings, His extraordinary
wisdom and knowledge, His courage and zeal as a reformer, aroused the greatest
enthusiasm among His followers, but excited a corresponding degree of alarm and
enmity among the orthodox Muslims. The Shi'ih doctors vehemently denounced Him,
and persuaded the Governor of Fars, namely Husayn Khan, a fanatical and tyrannical
ruler, to undertake the suppression of the new heresy. Then commenced for the
Bab a long series of imprisonments, deportations, examinations before tribunals,
scourgings and indignities, which ended only with His martyrdom in 1850.
Claims of
the Bab
The hostility aroused by the claim of Babhood was redoubled
when the young reformer proceeded to declare that He
was Himself the Mihdi (Mahdi) Whose coming Muhammad
had foretold. The Shi'ihs identified this Mihdi with
the 12th Imam1
who, according to their beliefs, had mysteriously disappeared
from the sight of men about a thousand years previously.
They believed that he was still alive and would reappear
in the same body as before, and they interpreted in
a material sense the prophecies regarding his dominion,
his glory, his conquests and the "signs" of his advent,
just as the Jews in the time of Christ interpreted similar
prophecies regarding
the Messiah. They expected that he would appear with
earthly sovereignty and an innumerable army and declare
his revelation, that he would raise dead bodies and
restore them to life, and so on. As these signs did
not appear, the Shi'ihs rejected the Bab with the same
fierce scorn which the Jews displayed towards Jesus.
The Babis, on the other hand, interpreted many of the
prophecies figuratively. They regarded the sovereignty
of the Promised One, like that of the Galilean "Man
of Sorrows," as a mystical sovereignty; His glory as
spiritual, not earthly glory; His conquests as conquests
over the cities of men's hearts' and they found abundant
proof of the Bab's claim in His wonderful life and teachings,
His unshakable faith, His invincible steadfastness,
and His power of raising to newness of spiritual life
those who were in the graves of error and ignorance.
But
the Bab did not stop even with the claim of Mihdihood. He adopted the sacred title
of "Nuqtiyiula" or "Primal Point." This was a title applied to Muhammad Himself
by His followers. Even the Imams were secondary in importance to the "Point,"
from Whom they derived their inspiration and authority. In assuming this title,
the Bab claimed to rank, like Muhammad, in the series of great Founders of Religion,
and for this reason, in the eyes of the Shi'ihs, He was regarded as an impostor,
just as Moses and Jesus before Him had been regarded as impostors. He even inaugurated
a new calendar, restoring the solar year, and dating the commencement of the New
Era from the year of His own Declaration.
Persecution
Increases
In consequence of these declarations of the Bab and the alarming rapidity with
which people of all classes, rich and poor, learned and ignorant, were eagerly
responding to His teaching, attempts at suppression became more and more ruthless
and determined. Houses were pillaged and destroyed. Women were seized and carried
off. In Tihran, Fars, Mazindaran, and other places great numbers of the believers
were put to
death. Many were beheaded, hanged, blown from the mouths of cannon, burnt or chopped
to pieces. Despite all attempts at repression, however, the movement progressed.
Nay, through this very oppression the assurance of the believers increased, for
thereby many of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Mihdi were literally
fulfilled. Thus in a tradition recorded by Jabir, which the Shi'ihs regard as
authentic, we read: -- In
him shall be the perfection of Moses, the preciousness of Jesus, and the patience
of Job; his saints shall be abased in his time, and their heads shall be exchanged
as presents, even as the heads of the Turk and the Deylamite are exchanged as
presents; they shall be slain and burned, and shall be afraid, fearful and dismayed;
the earth shall be dyed with their blood, and lamentation shall prevail amongst
their women; these are my saints indeed. -- New History of the Bab, translated
by Prof. E. G. Browne, p. 132.
Martyrdom
of the Bab
On the 9th of July, 1850,1
the Bab Himself, Who was then in His thirty-first year,
fell a victim to the fanatical fury of His persecutors.
With a devoted young follower name Aqa Muhammad Ali,
who had passionately begged to be allowed to share His
martyrdom, He was led to the scaffold in the old barrack
square of Tabriz. About two hours before noon the two
were suspended by ropes under their armpits in such
a way that the head of Muhammad Ali rested against the
breast of his beloved Master. A regiment of Armenian
soldiers was drawn up and received the order to fire.
Promptly the volleys rang out, but when the smoke cleared,
it was found that the Bab and His companion were still
alive. The bullets had but severed the ropes by which
they were suspended, so that they dropped to the ground
unhurt. The Bab proceeded to a room
nearby, where He was found talking to one of His friends.
About noon they were again suspended. The Armenians,
who considered the result of their volleys a miracle,
were unwilling to fire again, so another regiment of
soldiers had been brought on the scene, who fired when
ordered. This time the volleys took effect. The bodies
of both victims were riddled by bullets and horribly
mutilated, although their faces were almost untouched.
By
this foul deed the Barrack Square of Tabriz became a second Calvary. The enemies
of the Bab enjoyed a guilty thrill of triumph, thinking that this hated tree of
the Babi faith was now severed at the root, and its complete eradication would
be easy! But their triumph was short-lived! They did not realize that the Tree
of Truth cannot be felled by any material ax. Had they but known, this very crime
of theirs was the means of giving greater vigor to the Cause. The martyrdom of
the Bab fulfilled His own cherished wish and inspired His followers with increased
zeal. Such was the fire of their spiritual enthusiasm that the bitter winds of
persecution but fanned it to a fiercer blaze: The greater the efforts at extinction,
the higher mounted the flames.
Tomb on Mount
Carmel
After the Bab's martyrdom, His remains, with those of His devoted companion, were
thrown on the edge of the moat outside the city wall. On the second night they
were rescued at midnight by some of the Babis, and after being concealed for years
in secret depositories in Persia, were ultimately brought, with great danger and
difficulty, to the Holy Land. There they are now interred in a tomb beautifully
situated on the slope of Mount Carmel, not far from the Cave of Elijah, and only
a few miles from the spot where Baha'u'llah spent His last years and where His
remains now lie. Among the thousands of pilgrims from all parts of the world who
come to pay homage at the Holy Tomb of Baha'u'llah, none omit to offer a prayer
also at the shrine of His devoted lover and forerunner, the Bab. Writings
of Bab
The Writings
of the Bab were voluminous, and the rapidity with which, without study or premeditation,
He composed elaborate commentaries, profound expositions or eloquent prayers was
regarded as one of the proofs of His divine inspiration. The
purport of His various Writings has been summarized as follows: -- Some
of these [the Bab's Writings] were commentaries on, and interpretations of the
verses of the Kur'an; some were prayers, homilies, and hints of [the true significance
of certain] passages; other were exhortations, admonitions, dissertations on the
different branches of the doctrine of the Divine Unity ... encouragements to amendment
of character, severance from worldly states, and dependence on the inspirations
of God. But the essence and purport of his compositions were the praises and descriptions
of that Reality soon to appear which was his only object and aim, his darling,
and his desire. For he regarded his own appearance as that of a harbinger of good
tidings, and considered his own real nature merely as a means for the manifestation
of the greater perfections of that One. And indeed he ceased not from celebrating
Him by night or day for a single instant, but used to signify to all his followers
that they should expect His arising: in such wise that he declares in his writings,
"I am a letter out of that most might book and a dew-drop from that limitless
ocean, and, when He shall appear, my true nature, my mysteries, riddles, and intimations
will become evident, and the embryo of this religion shall develop through the
grades of its being and ascent, attain to the station of `the most comely of forms,'
and become adorned with the robe of `blessed be God, the Best of Creators.' ...
and so inflamed was he with His flame that commemoration of Him was the bright
candle of his dark nights in the fortress of Maku, and remembrance of Him was
the best of companions in the straits of the prison of Chihrik. Thereby he obtained
spiritual enlargements; with His wine was he inebriated; and at remembrance of
Him did he rejoice. -- A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the Bab), pp. 54-56.
He Whom God
Shall Make Manifest
The Bab
has been compared to John the Baptist, but the station of the Bab is not merely
that of the herald or forerunner. In Himself the Bab was a Manifestation of God,
the Founder of an independant religion, even though that religion was limited
in time to a brief period of years. The Bahá'ís believe that the Bab and Baha'u'llah
were Co-Founders of their Faith, the following words of Baha'u'llah testifying
to this truth: "That so brief a span should have separated this most mighty and
wondrous Revelation from Mine own previous Manifestation, is a secret that no
man can unravel and a mystery such as no mind can fathom. Its duration had been
foreordained, and no man shall ever discover its reason unless and until he be
informed of the contents of My Hidden Book." In His references to Baha'u'llah,
however, the Bab revealed an utter selflessness, declaring that, in the day of
"Him whom God shall manifest": -- "If one should hear a single verse from Him
and recite it, it is better that he should recite the Beyan [i.e. the Revelation
of the Bab] a thousand times." -- A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the Bab),
p. 349. He counted
Himself happy in enduring any affliction, if by so doing He could smooth the path,
be ever so little, for "Him Whom God shall make manifest," Who was, He declared,
the sole source of His inspiration as well as the sole object of His love.
Resurrection, Paradise, and Hell
An important part of the Bab's teaching is His explanation of the terms Resurrection,
Day of Judgment, Paradise and
Hell. By the Resurrection is meant, He said, the appearance of a new Manifestation
of the Sun of Truth. The raising of the dead means the spiritual awakening of
those who are asleep in the graves of ignorance, heedlessness and lust. The Day
of Judgment is the Day of the new Manifestation, by acceptance or rejection of
Whose Revelation the sheep are separated from the goats, for the sheep know the
voice of the Good Shepherd and follow Him. Paradise is the joy of knowing and
loving God, as revealed through His Manifestation, thereby attaining to the utmost
perfection of which one is capable, and, after death, obtaining entrance to the
Kingdom of God and the life everlasting. Hell is simply deprivation of that knowledge
of God with consequent failure to attain divine perfection, and loss of the Eternal
Favor. He definitely declared that these terms have no real meaning apart from
this; and that the prevalent ideas regarding the resurrection of the material
body, a material heaven and hell, and the like, are mere figments of the imagination.
He taught that man has a life after death, and that in the afterlife progress
towards perfection is limitless.
Social
and Ethical Teachings
In His Writings
the Bab tells His followers that they must be distinguished by brotherly loved
and courtesy. Useful arts and crafts must be cultivated. Elementary education
should be general. In the new and wondrous Dispensation now commencing, women
are to have fuller freedom. The poor are to be provided for out of the common
treasury, but begging is strictly forbidden, as is the use of intoxicating liquors
for beverage purposes. The
guiding motive of the true Babi must be pure love, without hope of reward or fear
of punishment. Thus says in the Bayan: -- So
worship God that if the recompense of thy worship of Him were to be the Fire,
no alteration in thy worship of Him would be produced. If you worship from fear,
that is unworthy of the threshold of the holiness of God. ...
So also, if your gaze is on Paradise, and if you worship in hope of that; for
then you have made God's creation a Partner with Him. -- Babis of Persia, II,
Prof. E. G. Browne, J.R.A.S., vol. xxi, p. 931.
Passion and
Triumph
This last
quotation reveals the spirit which animated the Bab's whole life. To know and
love God, to mirror forth His attributes and to prepare the way for His coming
Manifestation -- these were the sole aim and object of His being. For Him
life had no terrors and death no sting, for love had cast out fear, and martyrdom
itself was but the rapture of casting His all at the feet of His Beloved.
Strange! that this pure and beautiful soul, this inspired teacher of Divine Truth,
this devoted lover of God and of His fellowmen should be so hated, and done to
death by the professedly religious of His day! Surely nothing but unthinking or
willful prejudice could blind men to the fact that here was indeed a Prophet,
a Holy Messenger of God. Worldly greatness and glory He had none, but how can
spiritual Power and Dominion be proved except by the ability to dispense with
all earthly assistance, and to triumph over all earthly opposition, even the most
potent and virulent? How can Divine Love be demonstrated to an unbelieving world
save by its capacity to endure to the uttermost the blows of calamity and darts
of affliction, the hated of enemies and the treachery of seeming friends, to rise
serene above all these and, undismayed and unembittered, still to forgive and
bless? The Bab
has endured and the Bab has triumphed. Thousands have testified to the sincerity
of their love for Him by sacrificing their lives and their all in His service.
Kings might well envy His power over men's hearts and lives. Moreover, "He Whom
the Lord shall make manifest" has appeared, has confirmed the claims and accepted
the devotion of His forerunner, and made Him partaker of His Glory.
Footnotes: Page
11: 1. The "a" pronounced as in Shah.[back]
2. One of the two great factions -- Shi'ih and Sunni -- into
which Islam fell soon after the death of Muhammad, was the first legitimate successor
of the Prophet, and that only his descendants are the rightful caliphs.[back]
Page 13: 1.
First day of Muharram, 1235 A.H.[back] 2.
On this point a historian remarks: "The belief of many people in the East, especially
the believers in the Bab (now Bahá'ís) was this: that the Bab received no education,
but that the Mullas, in order to lower him in the eyes of the people, declared
that such knowledge and wisdom as he possessed were accounted for by the education
he had received. After deep search into the truth of this matter we have found
evidence to show that in childhood for a short time he used to go to the house
of Shaykh Muhammad (also known as Abid) where he was taught to read and write
in Persian. It was this to which the Bab referred when he wrote in the book of
Bayan: `O Muhammad, O my teacher! ...' "The
remarkable thing is this, however, that this Shaykh, who was his teacher, became
a devoted disciple of his own pupil, and the uncle of the Bab who was like a father
to him, whose name was Haji Siyyid Ali, also became a devout believer and was
martyred as a Babi. "The
understanding of these mysteries is given to seekers after truth, but we know
this, that such education as the Bab received was but elementary, and that whatever
signs of unusual greatness and knowledge appeared in him were innate and from
God."[back]
Page 14: 1. A Traveller's Narrative Written to Illustrate
the Episode of the Bab with an introduction by E. G. Browne, referred to subsequently
as A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of the Bab). [back]
2. i.e. May 23, 1844 A.D. [back]
Page 15: 1.
The Imam of the Shi'ihs is the divinely ordained successor of the Prophet whom
all the faithful must obey. Eleven persons successively held the office of Imam,
the first being Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet. The majority of
the Shi'ihs hold that the twelfth Imam, called by them the Imam Mihdi, disappeared
as a child into an underground passage in 329 A.H., and that in the fullness of
time he will come forth, overthrow the infidels and inaugurate an era of blessedness.
[back]
Page 17: 1.
Friday, 28th Sha'ban, 1266 A.H. [back]
Chapter 3
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter
Three: Baha'u'llah:1
The Glory of God
O
thou who art waiting, tarry no longer, for He is come. Behold His Tabernacle and
His Glory dwelling therein. It is the Ancient Glory, with a new Manifestation.
-- BAHA'U'LLAH.
Birth
and Early Life
Mirza Husayn Ali, Who afterwards assumed the title of
Baha'u'llah (i.e. Glory of God), was the eldest son
of Mirza Abbas of Nur, a Vazir or Minister of State.
His family was wealthy and distinguished, many of its
members having occupied important positions in the Government
and in the Civil and Military Services of Persia. He
was born in Tihran (Teheran), the capital city of Persia,
between dawn and sunrise on the 12th of November, 1817.2
He never attended school or college, and what little
teaching He received was given at home. Nevertheless,
even as a child He showed wonderful wisdom and knowledge.
While He was still a youth His father died, leaving
Him responsible for the care of His younger brothers
and sisters, and for the management of the extensive
family estates.
On
one occasion Abdu'l-Baha, the eldest son of Baha'u'llah, related to the writer
the following particulars about His Father's early days: -- From
childhood He was extremely kind and generous. He was a great lover of outdoor
life, most of His time being spent in the garden or the fields. He had an extraordinary
power of attraction, which was felt by all. People always crowded around Him.
Ministers and people of the Court would surround Him, and the children also were
devoted to Him. When He was only thirteen of fourteen years old He became renowned
for His learning. He would converse on any subject and solve any problem presented
to Him. In large gatherings He would discuss matters with the Ulama (leading mullas)
and would explain intricate religious questions. All of them used to listen to
Him with the greatest interest.
When Baha'u'llah was twenty-two years old, His father died, and the Government
wished Him to succeed to His father's position in the Ministry, as was customary
in Persia, but Baha'u'llah did not accept the offer. Then the Prime Minister said:
"Leave him to himself. Such a position is unworthy of him. He has some higher
aim in view. I cannot understand him, but I am convinced that he is destined for
some lofty career. His thought are not like ours. Let him alone."
Imprisoned
as Babi
When the
Bab declared His mission in 1844, Baha'u'llah, Who was then in His twenty-seventh
year, boldly espoused the Cause of the new Faith, of which He soon became recognized
as one of the most powerful and fearless exponents. He
had already twice suffered imprisonment for the Cause, and on one occasion had
undergone the torture of the bastinado, when in August 1852, an event occurred
fraught with terrible consequences for the Babis. One of the Bab's followers,
a youth named Sadiq, had been so affected by the martyrdom of his beloved Master,
of which he was an eyewitness, that his mind became deranged, and, in revenge,
he waylaid the Shah and fired a pistol at him. Instead of using a bullet, however,
he charged his weapon with small shot, and although a few pellets struck the Shah,
no serious harm was done. The youth dragged the Shah from his horse, but was promptly
seized by the attendants of his Majesty and put to death on the spot. The whole
body of Babis was unjustly held responsible for the
deed, and frightful massacres ensued. Eighty of them were forthwith put to death
in Tihran with the most revolting tortures. Many others were seized and put into
prisons, among them being Baha'u'llah. He afterwards wrote: -- By
the righteousness of God! We were in no wise connected with that evil deed, and
Our innocence was indisputably established by the tribunals. Nevertheless, they
apprehended Us, and from Niyavaran, which was then the residence of His Majesty,
conducted Us, on foot and in chains, with bared head and bare feet, to the dungeon
of Tihran. A brutal man, accompanying Us on horseback, snatched off Our hat, whilst
We were being hurried along by a troop of executioners and officials. We were
consigned for four months to a place foul beyond comparison. As to the dungeon
in which this Wronged One and other similarly wronged were confined, a dark and
narrow pit were preferable. Upon Our arrival We were first conducted along a pitch-black
corridor, from whence We descended three steep flights of stairs to the place
of confinement assigned to Us. The dungeon was wrapped in thick darkness, and
Our fellow-prisoners numbered nearly a hundred and fifty souls: thieves, assassins
and highwaymen. Though crowded, it had no other outlet than the passage by which
We entered. No pen can depict that place, nor any tongue describe its loathsome
smell. Most of these men had neither clothes nor bedding to lie on. God alone
knoweth what befell Us in that most foul-smelling and gloomy place! Day
and night, while confined in that dungeon, We meditated upon the deeds, the condition,
and the conduct of the Babis, wondering what could have led a people so high-minded,
so noble, and of such intelligence, to perpetrate such an audacious and outrageous
act against the person of His Majesty. This Wronged One, thereupon, decided to
arise, after His release from prison, and undertake, with the utmost vigor, the
task of regenerating this people. One night, in a dream these exalted words were
heard on every side: "Verily, We shall render Thee victorious by Thyself and by
Thy Pen. Grieve Thou not for that which hath befallen Thee, neither be Thou afraid,
for Thou art in safety. Erelong will God raise up the treasures of the earth --
men who will aid Thee through Thyself and through Thy Name, wherewith God hath
revived the hearts of such as have recognized Him." -- Epistle to the Son of the
Wolf, pp. 20-21.
Exile to Baghdad
This terrible
imprisonment lasted four months, but Baha'u'llah and His companions remained zealous
and enthusiastic, in the greatest of happiness. Almost every day one or more of
them was tortured or put to death and the others reminded that their turn might
come next. When the executioners came to fetch one of the friends, the one whose
name was called would literally dance with joy, kiss the hands of Baha'u'llah,
embrace the rest of his fellow believers and then hasten with glad eagerness to
the place of martyrdom. It
was conclusively proved that Baha'u'llah had no share in the plot against the
Shah, and the Russian Minister testified to the purity of His character. He was,
moreover, so ill that it was thought He would die. Instead, therefore, of sentencing
Him to death, the Shah ordered that He should be exiled to Iraq-i-'Arab, in Mesopotamia;
and thither, a fortnight later, Baha'u'llah set out, accompanied by His family
and a number of other believers. They suffered terribly from cold and other hardships
on the long winter journey and arrived in Baghdad in a state of almost utter destitution.
As soon as His health permitted, Baha'u'llah began to
teach inquirers and to encourage and exhort the believers,
and soon peace and happiness reigned among the Babis.1
This, however, was short-lived. Baha'u'llah's half brother,
Mirza Yahya, also
known as Subh-i-Azal, arrived in Baghdad, and soon afterwards
differences, secretly instigated by him, began to grow,
just as similar divisions had arisen among the disciples
of Christ. These differences (which later, in Adrianople,
became open and violent) were very painful to Baha'u'llah,
Whose whole aim in life was the promotion of unity among
the people of the world.
Two Years in the Wilderness
About a
year after coming to Baghdad, He departed alone into the wilderness of Sulaymaniyyih,
taking with Him nothing but a change of clothes. Regarding this period He write
in the Book of Iqan as follows: -- In
the early days of Our arrival in this land, when We discerned the signs of impending
events, We decided, wilderness, and there, separated and alone, led for two years
a life of complete solitude. From Our eyes there rained tears of anguish, and
in Our bleeding heart there surged an ocean of agonizing pain. Many a night We
had no food for sustenance, and many a day Our body found no rest. by Him Who
hath My being between His hands! nothwithstanding these showers of afflictions
and unceasing calamities, Our soul was wrapt in blissful joy, and Our whole being
evinced an ineffable gladness. For in Our solitude We were unaware of the harm
or benefit, the health or ailment, of any soul. Alone, We communed with Our spirit,
oblivious of the world and all that is therein. We knew not, however, that the
mesh of divine destiny exceedeth the vastest of mortal conceptions, and the dart
of His decree transcendeth the boldest of human designs. None can escape the snares
He setteth, and no soul can find release except through submission to His will.
By the righteousness of God! Our withdrawal contemplated no return, and Our separation
hoped for no reunion. The one object of Our retirement was to avoid becoming a
subject of discord among the faithful, a source of disturbance unto Our companions,
the means of injury to any soul, or the cause of sorrow to any heart. Beyond these,
We cherished no other intention, and apart from them, We had no end in view. And
yet, each person schemed after his own desire, and pursued his own idle fancy,
until the hour when, from the Mystic Source, there came the summons bidding Us
return whence We came. Surrendering Our will to His, We submitted to His injunction.
What
pen can recount the things We beheld upon Our return! Two years have elapsed during
which Our enemies have ceaselessly and assiduously contrived to exterminate Us,
whereunto all witness. -- Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 250-252.
Opposition
of Mullas\
After His
return from this retirement, His fame became greater than ever and people flocked
to Bahdad from far and near to see Him and hear His teachings. Jews, Christians
and Zoroastrians, as well as Muhammadans, became interested in the new message.
The Mullas (Muhammadan doctors), however, took up a hostile attitude and persistently
plotted to effect His overthrow. On a certain occasion they sent one of their
number to interview Him and submit to Him certain questions. The envoy found the
answers of Baha'u'llah so convincing and His wisdom so amazing, although evidently
not acquired by study, that he was obliged to confess that in knowledge and understanding
Baha'u'llah was peerless. In order, however, that the Mullas who had sent him
should be satisfied as to the reality of Baha'u'llah's Prophethood, he asked that
some miracle should be produced as proof. Baha'u'llah expressed His willingness
to accept the suggestion on certain conditions, declaring that if the Mullas would
agree regarding some miracle to be performed, and would sign and seal a document
to the effect that on performance of this miracle they would confess the validity
of His mission and cease to oppose Him,
He would furnish the desired proof or else stand convicted of imposture. Had the
aim of the Mullas been to get at the truth, surely here was their opportunity;
but their intention was far otherwise. Rightly or wrongly, they meant to secure
a decision in their own favor. They feared the truth and fled from the daring
challenge. This discomfiture, however, only spurred them on to devise fresh plots
for the eradication of the oppressed sect. The Consul General of Persia in Baghdad
came to their assistance and sent repeated messages to the Shah to the effect
that Baha'u'llah was injuring the Muhammadan religion more than ever, still exerting
a malign influence on Persia, and that He ought therefore to be banished to some
more distant place. It
was characteristic of Baha'u'llah that, at this crisis, when at the instigation
of the Muhammadan Mullas the Persian and Turkish Governments were combining their
efforts to eradicate the Movement, He remained calm and serene, encouraging and
inspiring His followers and writing imperishable words of consolation and guidance.
Abdu'l-Baha relates how the Hidden Words were written at this time. Baha'u'llah
would often go for a walk along the bank of the Tigris. He would come back looking
very happy and write down those lyric gems of wise counsel which have brought
help and healing to thousands of aching and troubled hearts. For years, only a
few manuscript copies of the Hidden Words were in existence, and these had to
be carefully concealed lest they should fall into the hands of the enemies that
abounded, but now this little volume is probably the best known of all Baha'u'llah's
works, and is read in every quarter of the globe. The Book of Iqan is another
well-known work of Baha'u'llah's written about the same period, towards the end
of His sojourn at Baghdad (1862-1863 A.D.)
Declaration at Ridvan1
near Baghdad
After much negotiation, at the request of the Persian Government, an order was
issued by the Turkish Government
summoning Baha'u'llah to Constantinople. On receipt of this new His followers
were in consternation. They besieged the house of their beloved Leader to such
an extent that the family encamped in the Garden of Najib Pasha outside the town
for twelve days, while the caravan was being prepared for the long journey. It
was during these twelve days (April 22 to May 3, 1863, i.e. nineteen years after
the Bab's Declaration) that Baha'u'llah announced to several of His followers
the glad tidings that He was the One Whose coming had been foretold by the Bab
-- the Chosen of God, the Promised One of all the Prophets. The Garden where this
memorable Declaration took place has become known to Bahá'ís as the "Garden of
Ridvan," and the days Baha'u'llah spent there are commemorated in the "Feast of
Ridvan," which is held annually on the anniversary of those twelve days. During
those days Baha'u'llah, instead of being sad or depressed, showed the greatest
joy, dignity and power. His followers became happy and enthusiastic, and great
crowds came to pay their respects to Him. All the notables of Baghdad, even the
Governor himself, came to honor the departing prisoner. Constantinople and
Adrianople
The journey to Constantinople lasted between three and
four months, the party consisting of Baha'u'llah with
members of His family and twenty-six disciples. Arrived
in Constantinople they found themselves prisoners in
a small house in which they were very much overcrowded.
Later they got somewhat better quarters, but after four
months they were again moved on, this time to Adrianople.
The journey to Adrianople, although it lasted but a
few days, was the most terrible they had yet undertaken.
Snow fell heavily most of the time, and as they were
destitute of proper clothing and food, their sufferings
were extreme. For the first winter in Adrianople, Baha'u'llah
and His family, numbering twelve persons, were accommodated
in a small house of three rooms, comfortless and vermin
infested. In the spring they were given a more comfortable
abode. They remained in Adrianople over four and a half
years. Here Baha'u'llah resumed His teaching and gathered
about Him a large following. He publicly announced His
mission and was enthusiastically accepted by the majority
of the Babis, who were known thereafter as Bahá'ís.
A minority, however, under the leadership of Baha'u'llah's
half brother, Mirza Yahya, become violently opposed
to Him and joined with their former enemies, the Shi'ihs,
in plotting for His overthrow. Great troubles ensued,
and at last the Turkish Government banished both Babis
and Bahá'ís from Adrianople, exiling Baha'u'llah
and His followers to Akka, in Palestine, where they
arrived (according to Nabil)1
on August 31, 1868, while Mirza Yahya and his party
were sent to Cyprus.
Letters
to Kings
About this time Baha'u'llah wrote His famous letter
to the Sultan of Turkey, many of the crowned heads of
Europe, the Pope, and the Shah of Persia. Later, in
His Kitab-i-Aqdas2
He addressed other sovereigns, the rulers and Presidents
of America, the leaders of religion in general and the
generality of mankind. To all, He announced His mission
and called upon them to bend their energies to the establishment
of true religion, just government and international
peace. In His letter to the Shah He powerfully pleaded
the cause of the oppressed Babs and asked to be brought
face to face with those who had instigated their persecution.
Needless to say, this request was not complied with;
Badi', the young and devoted Bahá'í who
delivered the letter of Baha'u'llah, was seized and
martyred with fearful tortures, hot bricks being pressed
on his flesh!
In
the same letter Baha'u'llah gives a most moving account of His own sufferings
and longings: O
King, I have seen in the way of God what no eye hath seen and no ear hath heard.
Friends have disclaimed me; ways are straitened unto me; the pool of safety is
dried up; the plain of ease is [scorched] yellow. How many calamities have descended,
and how many will descend! I walk advancing toward the Mighty, the Bounteous,
while behind me glides the serpent. My eyes rain down tears until my bed is drenched;
but my sorrow is not for myself. By God, my head longeth for the spears for the
love of its Lord, and I never pass by a tree but my heart addresseth it [saying],
"O would that thou wert cut down in my name and my body were crucified upon thee
in the way of my Lord;" yea, because I see mankind going astray in their intoxication,
and they know it not: they have exalted their lusts, and put aside their God,
as though they took the command of God for a mockery, a sport, and a plaything;
and they think that they do well, and that they are harboured in the citadel of
security. The matter is not as they suppose: to-morrow they shall see what they
[now] deny.
We are about to shift from this most remote place of banishment [Adrianople] unto
the prison of Acre. And, according to what they say, it is assuredly the most
desolate of the cities of the world, the most unsightly of them in appearance,
the most detestable in climate, and the foulest in water; it is as though it were
the metropolis of the owl; there is not heard from its regions aught save the
sound of its hooting. And in it they intend to imprison the servant, and to shut
in our faces the doors of leniency and take away from us the good things of the
life of the world during what remaineth of our days. By God, though weariness
should weaken me, and hunger should destroy me, though my couch should be made
of the hard rock and my associates of the beasts of the desert, I will not blench,
but will be patient, as the resolute and determined are patient, in the strength
of God, the King of Pre-existence, the Creator of the nations; and under all circumstances
I give thanks unto God. And we hope of His graciousness (exalted is He) ... that
He will render [all men's] faces sincere toward Him, the Mighty,
the Bounteous. Verily He answereth him who prayeth unto Him, and is near unto
him who calleth on Him. And we ask Him to make this dark calamity a buckler for
the body of His saints, and to protect them thereby from sharp swords and piercing
blades. Through affliction hath His light shone and His praise been bright unceasingly:
this hath been His method through past ages and bygone times. A Traveller's Narrative
(Episode of the Bab), pp. 145-147.
Imprisonment
in Akka
At that time Akka (Acre) was a prison city to which
the worst criminals were sent from all parts of the
Turkish Empire. On arriving there, after a miserable
sea journey, Baha'u'llah and His followers, about eighty
to eighty-four in number, including men, women and children,
were imprisoned in the army barracks. The place was
dirty and cheerless in the extreme. There were no beds
or comforts of any sort. The food supplied was wretched
and inadequate, so much so that after a time the prisoners
begged to be allowed to buy their food for themselves.
During the first few days the children were crying continually,
and sleep was almost impossible. Malaria, dysentery
and other diseases soon broke out, and everyone in the
company fell sick, with the exception of two. Three
succumbed to their sickness, and the sufferings of the
survivors were indescribable.1
This rigorous imprisonment lasted for over two years, during which time none of
the Bahá'ís were allowed outside the prison door, except four men, carefully guarded,
who went out daily to buy food. During
the imprisonment in the barracks, visitors were rigidly excluded. Several of the
Bahá'ís of Persia came all the way on foot for the purpose of seeing their beloved
leader, but
were refused admittance within the city walls. They used to got to a place on
the plain outside the third moat, from which they could see the windows of Baha'u'llah's
quarters. He would show Himself to them at one of the windows and after gazing
on Him from afar, they would weep and return to their homes, fired with new zeal
for sacrifice and service. Restrictions
Relaxed At
last the imprisonment was mitigated. A mobilization of Turkish troops occurred
and the barracks were required for soldiers. Baha'u'llah His family were transferred
to a house by themselves and the rest of the party were accommodated in a caravanserai
in the town. Baha'u'llah was confined for seven more years in this house. In a
small room near that in which He was imprisoned, thirteen of His household, including
both sexes, had to accommodate themselves as best they could! In the earlier part
of their stay in this house they suffered greatly from insufficiency of accommodation,
inadequate food supply and lack of the ordinary conveniences of life. After a
time, however, a few additional rooms were placed at their disposal and they were
able to live in comparative comfort. From the time Baha'u'llah and His companions
left the barracks, visitors were allowed to see them, and gradually the severe
restrictions imposed by the Imperial firmans were more and more left in abeyance,
although now and then reimposed for a time. Prison
Gates Opened
Even when the imprisonment was at its worst, the Bahá'ís were not dismayed, and
their serene confidence was never shaken. While in the barracks at Akka, Baha'u'llah
wrote to some friends, "Fear not. These doors shall be opened. My tent shall be
pitched on Mount Carmel, and the utmost joy shall be realized." This declaration
was a great source of consolation to His followers, and in due course it was literally
fulfilled. The story of how the prison doors were opened had best be told
in the words of Abdu'l-Baha, as translated by His grandson, Shoghi Effendi: --
Baha'u'llah
loved the beauty and verdure of the country. One day
He passed the remark: "I have not gazed on verdure for
nine years. The country is the world of the soul, the
city is the world of bodies." When I heard indirectly
of this saying I realized that He was longing for the
country, and I was sure that whatever I could do towards
the carrying out of His wish would be successful. There
was in Akka at that time a man called Muhammad Pasha
Safwat, who was very much opposed to us. He had a palace
called Mazra'ih, about four miles north of the city,
a lovely place, surrounded by gardens and with a stream
of running water. I went and called on this Pasha at
his home. I said: "Pasha, you have left the palace empty,
and are living in Akka." He replied: "I am an invalid
and cannot leave the city. If I go there it is lonely
and I am cut off from my friends." I said: "While you
are not living there and the place is empty, let it
to us." He was amazed at the proposal, but soon consented.
I got the house at a very low rent, about five pounds
per annum, paid him for five years and made a contract.
I sent laborers to repair the place and put the garden
in order and had a bath built. I also had a carriage
prepared for the use of the Blessed Beauty.1
One day I determined to go and see the place for myself.
Notwithstanding the repeated injunctions given in successive
firmans that we were on no account to pass the limits
of the city walls, I walked out through the City Gate.
Gendarmes were on guard, but they made no objection,
so I proceeded straight to the palace. The next day
I again went out, with some friends and officials, unmolested
and unopposed, although the guards and sentinels stood
on both sides of the city gates. Another day I arranged
a banquet, spread a table under the pine trees of Bahji,
and gathered round
it the notables and officials of the town. In the evening
we all returned to the town together.
One
day I went to the Holy Presence of the Blessed Beauty and said: "the palace at
Mazra'ih is ready for You, and a carriage to drive You there." (At that time there
were no carriages in Akka or Haifa.) He refused to go, saying: "I am a prisoner."
Later I requested Him again, but got the same answer. I went so far as to ask
Him a third time, but He still said "No!" and I did not dare to insist further.
There was, however, in Akka a certain Muhammadan Shaykh, a well-known man with
considerable influence, who loved Baha'u'llah and was greatly favored by Him.
I called this Shaykh and explained the position to him. I said, "You are daring.
Go tonight to His Holy Presence, fall on your knees before Him, take hold of His
hands and do not let go until He promises to leave the city!" He was an Arab.
... He went directly to Baha'u'llah and sat down close to His knees. He took hold
of the hands of the Blessed Beauty and kissed them and asked: "Why do you not
leave the city?" He said: "I am a prisoner." The haykh replied: "God forbid! Who
has the power to make you a prisoner? You have kept yourself in prison. It was
your own will to be imprisoned, and now I beg you to come out and go to the palace.
It is beautiful and verdant. The trees are lovely, and the oranges like balls
of fire!" As often as the Blessed Beauty said: "I am a prisoner, it cannot be,"
the Shaykh took His hands and kissed them. For a whole hour he kept on pleading.
At last Baha'u'llah said, "Khayli khub (very good)" and the Shaykh's patience
and persistence were rewarded. He came to me with great joy to give the glad news
of His Holiness's consent. In spite of the strict firman of Abdu'l-'Aziz which
prohibited my meeting or having any intercourse with the Blessed Perfection, I
took the carriage the next day and drove with Him to the palace. No one made any
objection. I left Him there and returned myself to the city. For
two years He remained in that charming and
lovely spot. Then it was decided to remove to another place, at Bahji. It so happened
than an epidemic disease had broken out at Bahji, and the proprietor of the house
fled away in distress, with all his family, ready to offer the house free of charge
to any applicant. We took the house at a very low rent, and there the doors of
majesty and true sovereignty were flung wide open. Baha'u'llah was nominally a
prisoner (for the drastic firmans of Sultan `Abdu'l-'Aziz were never repealed),
yet in reality He showed forth such nobility and dignity in His life and bearing
that He was reverenced by all, and the Rulers of Palestine envied His influence
and power. Governors and Mutasarrifs, generals and local officials, would humbly
request the honor of attaining His presence -- a request to which He seldom acceded.
On
one occasion a Governor of the city implored this favor on the ground of his being
ordered by higher authorities to visit, with a certain general, the Blessed Perfection.
The request being granted, the general, who was a very corpulent individual, a
European, was so impressed by the majestic presence of Baha'u'llah that he remained
kneeling on the ground near the door. Such was the diffidence of both visitors
that it was only after repeated invitations from Baha'u'llah that they were induced
to smoke the narguileh (hubble-bubble pipe) offered to them. Even then they only
touched it with their lips, and then, putting it aside, folded their arms and
sat in an attitude of such humility and respect as to astonish all those who were
present. The
loving reverence of friends, the consideration and respect that were shown by
all officials and notables, the inflow of pilgrims and seekers after truth, the
spirit of devotion and service that was manifest all around, the majestic and
kingly countenance of the Blessed Perfection, the effectiveness of His command,
the number of His zealous devotees-all bore witness to the fact that Baha'u'llah
was in reality no prisoner, but a King of Kings. Two despotic sovereigns were
against Him, two
powerful autocratic rulers, yet, even when confined in their own prisons, He addressed
them in very austere terms, like a king addressing his subjects. Afterwards, in
spite of severe firmans, He lived at Bahji like a prince. Often He would say:
"Verily, verily, the most wretched prison has been converted into a Paradise of
Eden."
Surely, such a thing has not been witnessed since the creation of the world. Life
at Bahji Having
in His earlier years of hardship shown how to glorify God in a state of poverty
and ignominy, Baha'u'llah in His later years at Bahji showed how to glorify God
in a state of honor and affluence. The offering of hundreds of thousands of devoted
followers placed at His disposal large funds which He was called upon to administer.
Although His life at Bahji has been described as truly regal, in the highest sense
of the word, yet it must not be imagined that it was characterized by material
splendor or extravagance. The Blessed Perfection and His family lived in very
simple and modest fashion, and expenditure on selfish luxury was a think unknown
in that household. Near His home the believers prepared a beautiful garden called
Ridvan, in which He often spent many consecutive days or even weeks, sleeping
at night in a little cottage in the garden. Occasionally He went further afield.
He made several visits to Akka and Haifa, and on more than one occasion pitched
His tent on Mount Carmel, as He had predicted when imprisoned in the barracks
at Akka. The time of Baha'u'llah was spent for the most part in prayer and meditation,
in writing the Sacred Books, revealing Tablets, and in spiritual education of
the friends. In order to give Him entire freedom for this great work, Abdu'l-Baha
undertook the arrangement of all other affairs, even meeting the Mullas, poets,
and members of the Government. All of these were delighted and happy through meeting
Abdu'l-Baha, and entirely satisfied with His explanation and talks, and although
they had not met Baha'u'llah Himself, they became full of friendly feeling towards
Him,
through their acquaintanceship with His son, for Abdu'l-Baha's attitude caused
them to understand the station of His father. The
distinguished orientalist, the late Professor Edward G. Browne, of the University
of Cambridge, visited Baha'u'llah at Bahji in the year 1890, and recorded his
impressions as follows: -- ...
my conductor paused for a moment while I removed my shoes. Then, with a quick
movement of the hand, he withdrew, and, as I passed, replaced the curtain; and
I found myself in a large apartment, along the upper end of which ran a low divan,
while on the side opposite to the door were placed two or three chairs. Though
I dimly suspected whither I was going and whom I was to behold (for no distinct
intimation had been given to me), a second or two elapsed ere, with a throb of
wonder and awe, I became definitely conscious that the room was not untenanted.
In the corner where the divan met the wall sat a wondrous and venerable figure,
crowned with a felt head-dress of the kind called taj by dervishes (but of unusual
height and make), round the base of which was wound a small white turban. The
face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those
piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that
ample brow; while the deep lines on the forehead and face implied an age which
the jet-black hair and beard flowing down in indistinguishable luxuriance almost
to the waist seemed to belie. No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed
myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy
and emperors sigh for in vain!
A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then continued: -- "Praise be to
God that thou has attained! ... Thou has come to see a prisoner and an exile.
... We desire but the good of the world and happiness of the nations; yet they
deem us a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment.
... That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that
the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened;
that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled --
what harm is there in this? ... Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these
ruinous wars shall pass away, and the `Most Great Peace' shall come. ... Do not
you in Europe need this also? Is not this that which Christ foretold? ... Yet
do we see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means
for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the
happiness of mankind. ... These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease,
and all men be as one kindred and one family. ... Let not a man glory in this,
that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind.
..." Such,
so far as I can recall them, were the words which, besides many others, I heard
from Beha. Let those who read them consider well with themselves whether such
doctrines merit death and bonds, and whether the world is more likely gain or
lose by their diffusion. -- Introduction to A Traveller's Narrative (Episode of
the Bab), pp. xxxix-xl.
Ascension
Thus
simply and serenely did Baha'u'llah pass the evening of His life on earth until,
after an attack of fever, He passed away on the 29th of May, 1892, at the age
of seventy-five. Among the last Tablets He revealed was His Will and Testament,
which He wrote with His own hand and duly signed and sealed. Nine days after His
death the seals were broken by His eldest son, in the presence of members of the
family and a few friends, and the contents of the short but remarkable document
were made known. By this will Abdu'l-Baha was constituted His father's representative
and the expounder of His teachings, and the family and relatives of Baha'u'llah
and all
believers were instructed to turn to Him and obey Him. By this arrangement sectarianism
and division were provided against and the unity of the Cause assured. Prophethood
of Baha'u'llah
It
is important to have clear ideas of Baha'u'llah's Prophethood. His utterances,
like those of other divine "Manifestations," may be divided into two classes,
in one of which He writes or speaks simply as a man who has been charged by God
with a message to His fellows, while in the other class the words purport to be
the direct utterance of God Himself. He
writes in the Book of Iqan: -- We
have already in the foregoing pages assigned two stations unto each of the Luminaries
arising from the Daysprings of eternal holiness. One of these stations, the station
of essential unity, We have already explained. "No distinction do We make between
any of them." [Qur'an 2:136] The other is the station of distinction, and pertaineth
to the world of creation and to be the limitations thereof. In this respect, each
Manifestation of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission,
a predestined Revelation, and specially designated limitations. Each one of them
is known by a different name, is characterized by a special attribute, fulfils
a definite Mission, and is entrusted with a particular Revelation. Even as He
saith: "Some of the Apostles We have caused to excel the others. To some God hath
spoken, some He hath raise and exalted. And to Jesus, Son of Mary, We gave manifest
signs, and We strengthen Him with the Holy Spirit." [Qur'an 2:253] ... Thus,
viewed from the standpoint of their oneness and sublime detachment, the attributes
of Godhead, Divinity, Supreme Singleness, and Inmost Essence, have been and are
applicable to those Essences of being, inasmuch as they all abide on the throne
of divine Revelation, and are established upon the seat of divine Concealment.
Through
their appearance the Revelation of God is made manifest, and by their countenance
the Beauty of God is revealed. Thus it is that the accents of God Himself have
been heard uttered by these Manifestations of the divine Being. Viewed
in the light of their second station -- the station of distinction, differentiation,
temporal limitations, characteristics and standards, -- they manifest absolute
servitude, utter destitution and complete self-effacement. Even as He saith: "I
am the servant of God. I am but a man like you." ...
Were any of the all-embracing Manifestations of God to declare: "I am God!" He
verily speaketh the truth, and no doubt attacheth thereto. For it hath been repeatedly
demonstrated that through their Revelation, their attributes and names, the Revelation
of God, His name and His attributes, are made manifest in the world. Thus, He
hath revealed: "Those shafts were God's, not Thine!" [Qur'an 8:17] And also He
saith: "In truth, they who plighted fealty unto thee, really plighted that fealty
unto God." [Qur'an 48:10] And were any of them to voice the utterance: "I am the
Messenger of God," He also speaketh the truth, the indubitable truth. Even as
He saith: "Muhammad is not the father of any man among you, but He is the Messenger
of God." Viewed in this light, they are all but Messengers of that ideal King,
that unchangeable Essence. And were they all to proclaim: "I am the Seal of Prophets,"
they verily utter but the truth, beyond the faintest shadow of doubt. For they
are all but one person, one soul, one spirit, one being, one revelation. They
are all the manifestation of the "Beginning" and the "End," the "First" and the
"Last," the "Seen" and "Hidden" -- all of which pertain to Him Who is the innermost
Spirit of Spirits and eternal Essence of Essences. And were they to say: "We are
the servants of God," [Qur'an 33:40] this also is a manifest and indisputable
fact. For they have been made manifest in the uttermost state of servitude, a
servitude the like of which
no man can possibly attain. Thus in moments in which these Essences of being were
deeply immersed beneath the oceans of ancient and everlasting holiness, or when
they soared to the loftiest summits of divine mysteries, they claimed their utterance
to be the Voice of divinity, the Call of God Himself. Were the eye of discernment
to be opened, it would recognize that in this very state, they have considered
themselves utterly effaced and non-existent in the face of Him Whom is the All-Pervading,
the incorruptible. Methinks, they have regarded themselves as utter nothingness,
and deemed their mention in that Court an act of blasphemy. For the slightest
whisperings of self, within such a Court, is an evidence of self-assertion and
independent existence. In the eyes of them that have attained unto that Court,
such a suggestion is itself a grievous transgression. How much more grievous would
it be, were aught else to be mentioned in that Presence, were man's heart, his
tongue, his mind, or his soul, to be busied with anyone but the Well-Beloved,
were his eyes to behold any countenance other than His beauty, were his ear to
be inclined to any melody but His voice, and were his feet to tread any way but
His way. In
this day the breeze of God is wafted, and His Spirit hath pervaded all things.
Such is the outpouring of His grace that the pen is stilled and the tongue is
speechless. By
virtue of this station, they have claimed for themselves the Voice of Divinity
and the like, whilst by virtue of their station of Messengership, they have declared
themselves the Messengers of God. In every instance they have voiced an utterance
that would conform to the requirements of the occasion, and have ascribed all
these declarations to Themselves, declarations ranging from the divine Revelation
to the realm of creation, and from the domain of Divinity even unto the domain
of earthly existence. Thus it is that whatsoever be their utterance, whether it
pertain to the realm of Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership, Guardianship,
Apostelship or Servitude, all is true, beyond the shadow of a
doubt. Therefore, these sayings which We have quoted in support of Our argument
must be attentively considered, that the divergent utterances of the Manifestations
of the Unseen and Daysprings of Holiness may cease to agitate the soul and perplex
the mind. -- Kitab-i-Iqan, 176-181.
When Baha'u'llah speaks as a man, the station He
claims for Himself is that of utter humility, of "annihilation in God." What distinguishes
the Manifestation, in His human personality, from other men is the completeness
of His self-abnegation as well as the perfection of His powers. Under all circumstances
He is able to say, as did Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, "nevertheless not
my will, but thine, be done." Thus in His epistle to the Shah, Baha'u'llah says:
-- O
king! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes
of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that
hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing.
And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell
Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow. The learning
current amongst men I studied not; their schools I entered not. ... This is but
a leaf which the winds of the will of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Praised
have stirred. Can it be still when the tempestuous winds are blowing? Nay, by
Him Who is the Lord of all Names and Attributes! They move it as they list. The
evanescent is as nothing before Him Who is the Ever-Abiding. His all-compelling
summons hath reached Me, and caused Me to speak His praise amidst all people.
I was indeed as one dead when His behest was uttered. The hand of the will of
thy Lord, the Compassionate, the Merciful, transformed Me. Can any one speak forth
of his own accord that for which all men, both high and low, will protest against
him? Nay, by Him Who taught the Pen the eternal mysteries, save him whom the grace
of the Almighty, the All-Powerful, hath
strengthened. -- Lawh-i-Sultan (Tablet to the King of Persia), as quoted in The
Promised Day Is Come, pp. 40-41.
As Jesus washed His disciples' feet, so Baha'u'llah used sometimes to cook food
and perform other lowly offices for His followers. He was a servant of the servants,
and gloried only in servitude, content to sleep on a bare floor if need be, to
live on bread and water, or even, at times, on what He called "the divine nourishment,
that is to say, hunger!" His perfect humility was seen in His profound reverence
for nature, for human nature, and especially for the saints, prophets and martyrs.
To Him, all things spoke of God, from the meanest to the greatest. His
human personality had been chosen by God to become the Divine Mouthpiece and Pen.
It was not of His own will that He had assumed this position of unparalleled difficulty
and hardship. As Jesus said: "Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from
me," so Baha'u'llah said: "Had another exponent or speaker been found, We would
not have made Ourself an object of censure, derision and calumnies on the part
of the people" (Tablet of Ishraqat). But the divine call was clear and imperative
and He obeyed. God's will became His will, and God's pleasure, His pleasure; and
with "radiant acquiescence" He declared: -- "Verily I say: Whatever befalleth
in the path of God is the beloved of the soul and the desire of the heart. Deadly
poison in His path is pure honey, and every tribulation a draught of crystal water."
-- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 17. At
other times, as we have mentioned, Baha'u'llah speaks "from the station of Deity."
In these utterances His human personality is so completely subservient that it
is left out of account altogether. Through Him God addresses His creatures proclaiming
His love for them, teaching them His attributes, making known His will, announcing
His laws for their guidance and pleading for their love, their allegiance and
service. In
the Writings of Baha'u'llah, the utterance frequently changes from one of these
forms to another. Sometimes it is
evidently the man who is discoursing, then without a break the writing continues
as if God were speaking in the first person. Even when speaking as a man, however,
Baha'u'llah speaks as God's messenger, as a living example of entire devotion
to God's will. His whole life is actuated by the Holy Spirit. Hence no hard and
fast line can be drawn between the human and divine elements in His life or teachings.
God tells Him: --
Say: "Naught is seen in my temple but the Temple
of God, and in my beauty but His Beauty, and in my being but His Being, and in
myself but Himself, and in my movement but His Movement, and in my acquiescence
but His Acquiescence, and in my pen but His Pen, the Precious, the Extolled."
Say:
"There hath not been in my soul but the Truth, and in myself naught could be seen
but God." -- Suratu'l-Haykal.
His Mission
Baha'u'llah's mission in the world is to bring about Unity -- Unity of all mankind
in and through God. He says: -- "Of the Tree of Knowledge the All-glorious fruit
is this exalted word: Of one Tree are all ye the fruits and of one Bough the leaves.
Let not man glory in this that he loves his country, but let him rather glory
in this that he loves his kind."
Previous Prophets have heralded an age of peace on earth, goodwill among men,
and have given Their lives to hasten its advent, but each and all of Them have
plainly declared that this blessed consummation would be reached only after the
"Coming of the Lord" in the latter days, when the wicked would be judged and righteous
rewarded. Zoroaster
foretold three thousand years of conflict before the advent of Shah Bahram, the
world-savior, Who would overcome Ahrman the spirit of evil, and establish a reign
of righteousness and peace. Moses
foretold a long period of exile, persecution and oppression for the children of
Israel, before the Lord of Hosts
would appear to gather them from all the nations, to destroy the oppressors and
establish His Kingdom upon earth. Christ
said: "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace,
but a sword" (Matt. x, 34), and He predicted a period of wars and rumors of wars,
of tribulations and afflictions that would continue till the coming of the Son
of Man "in the glory of the Father."
Muhammad declared that, because of their wrongdoings, Allah had put enmity and
hatred among both Jews and Christians that would last until the Day of Resurrection,
when He would appear to judge them all. Baha'u'llah,
on the other hand, announces that He is the Promised One of all these Prophets
-- the Divine Manifestation in Whose era the reign of peace will actually be established.
This statement is unprecedented and unique, yet it fits in wonderfully with the
signs of the times, and with the prophecies of all the great Prophets. Baha'u'llah
revealed with incomparable clearness and comprehensiveness the means for bringing
about peace and unity amongst mankind. It
is true that, since the advent of Baha'u'llah, there have been, until now, war
and destruction on an unprecedented scale, but this is just what all the prophets
have said would happen at the dawn of the "great and terrible Day of the Lord,"
and is, therefore, but a confirmation of the view that the "Coming of the Lord"
is not only at hand, but is already an accomplished fact. According to the parable
of Christ, the Lord of the Vineyard must miserably destroy the wicked husbandmen
before He gives the Vineyard to others who will render Him the fruits in their
seasons. Does not this mean that at the coming of the Lord dire destruction awaits
those despotic governments, avaricious and intolerant priests, mullas, or tyrannical
leaders who through the centuries have, like wicked husbandmen, misruled the earth
and misappropriated its fruits?
There may be terrible events, and unparalleled calamities yet awhile on the earth,
but Baha'u'llah assures us that erelong, these fruitless strifes, these ruinous
wars shall pass away, and the `Most Great Peace' shall come." War and strife have
become so intolerable
in their destructiveness that mankind must find deliverance from them or perish.
"The
fullness of time" has come and with it the Promised Deliverer! His
Writings
The Writings of Baha'u'llah are most comprehensive in their range, dealing with
every phase of human life, individual and social, with things material and things
spiritual, with the interpretation of ancient and modern scriptures, and with
prophetic anticipations of both the near and distant future.
The
range and accuracy of His knowledge was amazing. He
could quote and expound the Scriptures of the various
religions with which He correspondents or questions
were familiar, in convincing the authoritative manner,
although apparently He had never had the ordinary means
of access to many of the books referred to. He declares,
in Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, that He had never
read the Bayan, although in His own Writings He shows
the most perfect knowledge and understanding of the
Bab's Revelation. (The Bab, as we have seen, declared
that His Revelation, the Bayan, was inspired by and
emanated from "Him Whom God shall make Manifest"!) With
the single exception of a visit from Professor Edward
Granville Browne, to whom in the year 1890 He accorded
four interviews, each lasting twenty to thirty minutes,
He had no opportunities of intercourse with enlightened
Western thinkers, yet His Writings show a complete grasp
of the social, political and religious problems of the
Western World, and even His enemies had to admit that
His wisdom and knowledge were incomparable. The well-known
circumstances of His long imprisonment render it impossible
to doubt that the wealth of knowledge shown in His Writings
must have been acquired from some spiritual source,
quite independent of the usual means of study or instruction
and the help of books or teachers.1
Sometimes
He wrote in modern Persian, the ordinary language of His fellow countrymen, which
is largely admixed with Arabic. At other times, as when addressing learned Zoroastrians,
He wrote in the purest classical Persian. He also wrote with equal fluency in
Arabic, sometimes in very simple language, sometimes in classical style somewhat
similar to that of the Qur'an. His perfect mastery of these different languages
and styles was remarkable because of His entire lack of literary education. In
some of His Writings the way of holiness is pointed out in such simple terms that
"the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein" (Isaiah xxv, 8). In others
there is a wealth of poetic imagery, profound philosophy and allusions to Muhammadan,
Zoroastrian and other scriptures, or to Persian and Arabic literature and legends,
such as only the poet, the philosopher or the scholar can adequately appreciate.
Still others deal with advanced stages of the spiritual life and are to be understood
only by those who have already passed through the earlier stages. His works are
like a bountiful table provided with foods and delicacies suited to the needs
and tastes of all who are genuine truth seekers. It
is because of this that His Cause had effect among the learned and culture, spiritual
poets and well-known writers. Even some of the leaders of the Sufis and of other
sets, and some of the political ministers who were writers, were attracted by
His words, for they exceeded those of all other writers in sweetness and depth
of spiritual meaning.
The Bahá'í Spirit
From His place
of confinement in distant Akka, Baha'u'llah stirred His native land of Persia
to its depths; and not only Persia; He stirred and is stirring the world. The
spirit that animated Him and His followers was unfailingly gentle, courteous and
patient, yet it was a force of astonishing vitality and transcendent power. It
achieved the seemingly impossible. It changed human nature. Men who yielded to
its influence became new creatures. They were filled with a love, a faith, and
enthusiasm, compared with which earthly joys and sorrows
were but as dust in the balance. They were ready to face lifelong suffering or
violent death with perfect equanimity, nay, with radiant joy, in the strength
of fearless dependence on God.
Most wonderful of all, their hearts were so brimming over with the joy of a new
life as to leave no room for thoughts of bitterness or vindictiveness against
their oppressors. They entirely abandoned the use of violence in self-defense,
and instead of bemoaning their fate, they considered themselves the most fortunate
of men in being privileged to receive this new and glorious Revelation and to
spend their lives or shed their blood testifying to its truth. Well might their
hearts sing with joy, for they believed that God, the Supreme, the Eternal, the
Beloved, had spoken to them through human lips, had called them to be His servants
and friends, had come to establish His Kingdom upon earth and to bring the priceless
boon of Peace to a warworn, strife-stricken world.
Such was the faith inspired by Baha'u'llah. He announced His own mission, as the
Bab had foretold that He would, and, thanks to the devoted labors of His great
Forerunner, there were thousands ready to acclaim His Advent -- thousands who
had shaken off superstitions and prejudices, and were waiting with pure hearts
and open minds for the Manifestation of God's Promised Glory. Poverty and chains,
sordid circumstances and outward ignominy could not hide from them the Spiritual
Glory of their Lord -- nay, these dark earthly surroundings only served to enhance
the brilliance of His real Splendor.
Footnotes:
Page
23: 1.
Pronounced with the accent on the second and fourth syllables, the first syllable
being almost mute and both l's distinctly sounded. [back]
2. 2nd of Muharram, 1233 A.H. [back]
Page 26: 1.
This was early in the year 1853, or nine years after the Bab's Declaration, thus
fulfilling certain prophecies of the Bab concerning "the year nine." [back]
Page 29: 1.
Pronounced Rizwan. [back]
Page 31: 1.
Author of an early history of the Faith, The Dawn-Breakers, Nabil was a participant
in some of the scenes he describes and was personally acquainted with many of
the early believers. [back] 2. The Aqdas,
Kitab-i-Aqdas, The Book of Aqdas, and The Most Holy Book all refer to the same
book. [back]
Page 33: 1.
In order to bury two of those who died, Baha'u'llah gave His own carpet to be
sold for the expenses of their burial, but instead of using this money for that
purpose the soldiers appropriate it, and thrust the bodies into a hole in the
ground. [back]
Page 35: 1.
Jamal-i-Mubarak (lit. Blessed Beauty) was a title frequently applied to Baha'u'llah
by His followers and friends. [back]
Page 48: 1.
When asked whether Baha'u'llah had made a special study of Western writings and
founded His teachings in accordance with them Abdu'l-Baha said that the books
of Baha'u'llah, written and printed as long ago as the 1870's, contained the ideals
now so familiar to the West, although at that time these ideas had not been printed
or thought of in the West. [back]
Chapter 4
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter Four: 'Abdu'l-Baha:
The Servant of Baha
When the ocean of My presence hath ebbed and the
Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces towards Him Whom God hath purposed,
Who hath branched from this Ancient Root. -- BAHA'U'LLAH, Kitab-i-Aqdas.
Birth
and Childhood
Abbas Effendi, Who afterwards assumed the title of Abdu'l-Baha
(i.e. Servant of Baha), was the eldest son of Baha'u'llah.
He was born in Tihran before midnight on the eve of
the 23rd of May, 1844,1
the very same night
in which the Bab declared His mission.
He
was nine years of age when His father, to Whom even then He was devotedly attached,
was thrown into the dungeon in Tihran. A mob sacked their house, and the family
were stripped of their possessions and left in destitution. Abdu'l-Baha tells
how one day He was allowed to enter the prison yard to see His beloved father
when He came out for His daily exercise. Baha'u'llah was terribly altered, so
ill He could hardly walk, His hair and beard unkempt, His neck galled and swollen
from the pressure of a heavy steel collar, His body bent by the weight of His
chains, and the sight made a never- to-be-forgotten impression on the mind of
the sensitive boy. During
the first year of their residence in Baghdad, ten years before the open Declaration
by Baha'u'llah of His Mission, the keen insight of Abdu'l-Baha, Who was then but
nine years of age, already led Him to the momentous discovery that His father
was indeed the Promised One Whose Manifestation all the Babis were awaiting. Some
sixty years afterwards He thus described the moment in which this conviction suddenly
overwhelmed His whole nature: I
am the servant of the Blessed Perfection. In Baghdad I was a child. Then and there
He announced to me the Word, and I believed in Him. As soon as He proclaimed to
me the Word, I threw myself at His Holy Feet and implored and supplicated Him
to accept my blood as a sacrifice in His Pathway. Sacrifice! How sweet I find
that word! There is no greater Bounty for me than this! What greater glory can
I conceive than to see thick neck chained for His sake, these feet fettered for
His love, this body mutilated or thrown into the depths of the sea for His Cause!
If in reality we are His sincere lovers -- if in reality I am His sincere servant,
then I must sacrifice my life, my all at His Blessed Threshold. -- Diary of Mirza
Ahmad Sohrab, January 1914.
About this time He began to be called by His friends, "The Mystery of God," a
title given to Him by Baha'u'llah, by which He was commonly known during the period
of residence in Baghdad.
When His father went away for two years in the wilderness, Abbas was heartbroken.
His chief consolation consisted in copying and committing to memory the Tablets
of the Bab, and much of His time was spent in solitary meditation. When at last
His father returned, the boy was overwhelmed with joy.
Youth
From that time onwards, He became His father's closest
companion and, as it were, protector. Although a mere
youth, He already showed astonishing sagacity and discrimination,
and undertook the task of interviewing all the numerous
visitors who came to see His father. If He found they
were genuine truth seekers, He admitted them to His
father's presence, but otherwise He did not permit them
to trouble Baha'u'llah. On many occasions He helped
His father in answering the questions and solving the
difficulties of these visitors. For example, when of
the Sufi leaders, named Ali Shawkat Pasha, asked for
an explanation of the phrase: "I was a Hidden Mystery,"
which occurs in a well-known Muhammadan tradition,
tradition,1
Baha'u'llah turned to the "Mystery of God," Abbas, and
asked Him to write the explanation. The boy, who was
then about fifteen or sixteen years of age, at once
wrote an important epistle giving an exposition so illuminating
as to astonish the Pasha. This epistle is now widely
spread among the Bahá'ís, and is well
known to many outside the Bahá'í faith.
About this time Abbas was a frequent visitor to the mosques, where He would discuss
theological matters with the doctors and learned men. He never attended any school
or college, His only teacher being His father. His favorite recreation was horseback
riding, which He keenly enjoyed. After
Baha'u'llah's Declaration in the Garden outside Baghdad, Abdu'l-Baha's devotion
to His father became greater than ever. On the long journey to Constantinople
He guarded Baha'u'llah night and day, riding by His wagon and watching near His
tent. As far as possible He relieved His father of all domestic cares and responsibilities,
becoming the mainstay and comfort of the entire family.
During the years spent in Adrianople, Abdu'l-Baha endeared Himself to everyone.
He taught much, and became generally known as the "Master." At Akka, when nearly
all the party were ill with typhoid, malaria, and dysentery, He washed the patients,
nursed them, fed them, watched with them, taking no rest, until utterly exhausted,
He Himself took dysentery, and for about a month remained in a dangerous condition.
In Akka, as in Adrianople, all classes, from the Governor to the most wretched
beggar, learned to love and respect Him.
Marriage
The following particulars
regarding the marriage of Abdu'l-Baha were kindly supplied to the writer by a
Persian historian of the Bahá'í Faith: --
During
the youth of Abdu'l-Baha the question of a suitable
marriage for Him was naturally one of great interest
to the believers, and many people came forward, wishing
to have this crown of honor for their own family. For
a long time, however, Abdu'l-Baha showed no inclination
for marriage, and no one understood the wisdom of this.
Afterwards it became known that there was a girl who
was destined to become the wife of Abdu'l-Baha, one
whose birth came about through the Blessing which the
Bab gave to her parents in Isfahan. Her father was Mirza
Muhammad Ali, who was the uncle of the "King of Martyrs"
and the "Beloved of Martyrs," and she belonged to one
of the great and noble families of Isfahan. When the
Bab was in Isfahan, Mirza Muhammad Ali had no children,
but his wife was longing for a child. On hearing of
this, the Bab gave him a portion of His food and told
him to share it with his wife. After they had eaten
of that food, it soon became apparent that their long-cherished
hopes of parenthood were about to be fulfilled, and
in due course a daughter was born to them, who was given
the name of Munirih Khanum.1
Later on son was born, to whom they gave the name of
Siyyid Yahya, and afterwards they had some other children.
After a time, Munirih's father died, her cousins were
martyred by Zillu's-Sultan and the mullas, and the family
fell into great troubles and bitter persecutions because
of their being Bahá'ís. Baha'u'llah then
permitted Munirih and her brother Siyyid Yahya to come
to Akka for protection. Baha'u'llah and His wife, Navvab,
the mother of Abdu'l-Baha, showed such kindness and
favor to Munirih that others understood that they wished
her to become the wife of Abdu'l-Baha. The wish of His
father and mother became the wish of Abdu'l-Baha, too.
He had a warm feeling of love and affection for Munirih
which was fully reciprocated, and erelong they became
united in marriage.
The marriage proved exceedingly happy and harmonious. Of the children born to
them four daughters have survived the rigors of their long imprisonment, and,
through their beautiful
lives of service, have endeared themselves to all who have been privileged to
know them.
Center
of the Covenant
Baha'u'llah
indicated in many ways the Abdu'l-Baha was to direct the Cause after His own ascension.
Many years before His death He declared this in a veiled manner in His Kitab-i-Aqdas.
He referred to Abdu'l-Baha on many occasions as "The Center of My Covenant," "The
Most Great Branch," "The Branch from the Ancient Root." He habitually spoke of
Him as "The Master" and required all His family to treat Him with marked deference;
and in His Will and Testament He left explicit instructions that all should turn
to Him and obey Him. After
the death of the "Blessed Beauty" (as Baha'u'llah was generally called by His
family and believers) Abdu'l-Baha assumed the position which His father had clearly
indicated for Him as head of the Cause and authoritative Interpreter of the teachings,
but this was resented by certain of His relatives and others, who became as bitterly
opposed to Abdu'l-Baha as Subh-i-Azal had been to Baha'u'llah. They tried to stir
up dissensions among the believers, and, failing in that, proceeded to make various
false charges against Abdu'l-Baha to the Turkish Government. In
accordance with instructions received from His father, Abdu'l-Baha was erecting
a building on the side of Mount Carmel, above Haifa, which was intended to be
the permanent resting-place of the remains of the Bab, and also to contain a number
of rooms for meetings and services. They represented to the authorities that this
building was intended as a fort, and that Abdu'l-Baha and His followers meant
to entrench themselves there, defy the Government, and endeavor to gain possession
of the neighboring region of Syria.
Strict Imprisonment
Renewed
In consequence of this and other equally unfounded charges, in 1901, Abdu'l-Baha
and His family, who for more than twenty years had been allowed the freedom of
the country for
some miles around Akka, were again, for over seven years, strictly confined within
the walls of the prison city. This did not prevent Him, however, from effectively
spreading the Bahá'í message through Asia, Europe and America. Mr. Horace Holley
writes of this period as follows: -- To
Abdu'l-Baha, as a teacher and friend, came men and women from every race, religion
and nation, to sit at his table like favored guests, questioning him about the
social, spiritual or moral program each had most at heart; and after a stay lasting
from a few hours to many months, returning home, inspired, renewed and enlightened.
The world surely never possessed such a guest-house as this.
Within its doors the rigid castes of India melted away, the racial prejudice of
Jew, Christian and Muhammadan became less than a memory; and every convention
save the essential law of warm hearts and aspiring minds broke down, banned and
forbidden by the unifying sympathy of the master of the house. It was like a King
Arthur and the Round Table ... but an Arthur who knighted women as well as men,
and sent them away not with the sword but with the Word. -- The Modern Social
Religion, Horace Holley, p. 171.
During these years Abdu'l-Baha cared on an enormous correspondence with believers
and inquirers in all parts of the world. In this work He was greatly assisted
by His daughters and also by several interpreters and secretaries.
Much of His time was spent in visiting the sick and the afflicted in their own
homes; and in the poorest quarters of Akka no visitor was more welcome than the
"Master." A pilgrim who visited Akka at this time writes: -- It
is the custom of Abdu'l-Baha each week, on Friday morning, to distribute alms
to the poor. From his own scanty store he gives a little to each one of the needy
who come to ask assistance. This morning about one hundred were ranged in line,
seated and crouching upon the ground in the open street of the courts where Abdu'l-Baha's
house stands. And such a nondescript collection of humanity they were. All kinds
of men, women and children -- poor, wretched, hopeless in aspect, half-clothed,
many of them crippled and blind, beggars indeed, poor beyond expression -- waiting
expectant -- until from the doorway came Abdu'l-Baha. ... Quickly moving from
one to another, stopping sometimes to leave a word of sympathy and encouragement,
dropping small coins into each eager outstretched palm, touching the face of a
child, taking the hand of an old woman who held fast to the hem of his garment
as he passed along, speaking words of light to old men with sightless eyes, inquiring
after those too feeble and wretched to come for their pittance of help, and sending
them their portion with a message of love and uplift. -- Glimpses of Abdu'l-Baha,
M. J. M., p. 13.
Abdu'l-Baha's personal wants were few. He worked late and early. Two simple meals
a day sufficed Him. His wardrobe consisted of a very few garments of inexpensive
material. He could not bear to live in luxury while others were in want.
He had a great love for children, for flowers, and for the beauties of nature.
Every morning about six or seven, the family party used to gather to partake of
the morning tea together, and while the Master sipped His tea, the little children
of the household chanted prayers. Mr. Thornton Chase writes of these children:
-- "Such children I have never seen, so courteous, unselfish, thoughtful for others,
unobtrusive, intelligent, and swiftly self-denying in the little things that children
love. ..." -- In Galilee, p. 51. The
"ministry of flowers" was a feature of the life at Akka, of which every pilgrim
brought away fragrant memories. Mrs. Lucas writes: -- "When the Master inhales
the odor of flowers, it is wonderful to see him. It seems as though the perfume
of the hyacinths were telling him something as he buries his face in the flowers.
It is like the effort of the ear to hear a beautiful
harmony, a concentrated attention!" -- A Brief Account of My Visit to `Akka, pp.
25-26. He
loved to present beautiful and sweet-smelling flowers to His numerous visitors.
Mr. Thornton Chase
sums up his impression of the prison life at Akka as follows: -- Five
days we remained within those walls, prisoners with Him who dwells in that "Greatest
Prison." It is a prison of peace, of love and service. No wish, no desire is there
save the good of mankind, the peace of the world, the acknowledgement of the Fatherhood
of God and the mutual rights of men as His creatures, His children. Indeed, the
real prison, the suffocating atmosphere, the separation from all true heart desires,
the bond of world conditions, is outside of those stone walls, while within them
is the freedom and pure aura of the Spirit of God. All troubles, tumults, worries
or anxieties for worldly things are barred out there. -- In Galilee, p. 24.
To most people the hardships of prison life would appear as grievous calamities,
but for Abdu'l-Baha they had no terrors. When in prison He wrote: -- Grieve
not because of my imprisonment and calamity; for this prison is my beautiful garden,
my mansioned paradise and my throne of dominion among mankind. My calamity in
my prison is a crown to me in which I glory among the righteous. Anyone
can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy;
but if one be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing
disease, that is the proof of nobility.
Turkish
Commissions of Investigation
In 1904
and 1907 commissions were appointed by the Turkish Government to inquire into
the charges against Abdu'l-Baha, and lying witnesses gave evidence against Him.
Abdu'l-Baha,
while refuting the charges, expressed His entire readiness to submit to any sentence
the tribunal chose to impose. He declared that if they should throw Him into jail,
drag Him through the streets, curse Him, spit upon Him, stone Him, heap upon Him
all sort of ignominy, hang Him or shoot Him, He would still be happy.
Between the sittings of the Commissions of Investigation He pursued His ordinary
life with the utmost serenity, planting fruit trees in a garden and presiding
at a marriage feast with the dignity and radiance of spiritual freedom. The Spanish
Consul offered to provide Him a safe passage to any foreign port He cared to select,
but this offer He gratefully but firmly refused, saying that whatever the consequences,
He must follow in the footsteps of the Bab and the Blessed Perfection, Who never
tried to save Themselves or run away from Their enemies. He encouraged most of
the Bahá'ís, however, to leave the neighborhood of Akka, which had become very
dangerous for them, and remained alone, with a few of the faithful, to await His
destiny. The four
corrupt officials who constituted the last investigating commission arrived in
Akka in the early part of the winter of 1907, stayed one month, and departed for
Constantinople, after finishing their so-called "investigation," prepared to report
that the charges against Abdu'l-Baha had been substantiated and to recommend His
exile or execution. No sooner had they got back to Turkey, however, than the Revolution
broke out there and the four commissioners, who belonged to the old regime, had
to flee for their lives. The Young Turks established their supremacy, and all
political and religious prisoners in the Ottoman Empire were set free. In September
1890 Abdu'l-Baha was released was prison, and in the following year Abdu'l-Hamid,
the Sultan, became himself a prisoner.
Western
Tours
After His release, Abdu'l-Baha continued the same holy life of ceaseless activity
in teaching, correspondence, ministering to the poor and the sick, with merely
the change from Akka to Haifa and from Haifa to Alexandria, until August 1911,
when He started
on His first visit to the Western world. During His tours in the West, Abdu'l-Baha
met men of every shade of opinion and amply fulfilled the command of Baha'u'llah
to "Consort with all the people with joy and fragrance." He reached London early
in September 1911, and spent a month there, during which, besides daily talks
with inquirers and many other activities, He addressed the congregations of the
Rev. R. J. Campbell at the City Temple, and of Archdeacon Wilberforce at St. John's,
Westminster, and breakfasted with the Lord Mayor. He then proceeded to Paris,
where His time was occupied in giving daily addresses and talks to eager listeners
of many nationalities and types. In December He returned to Egypt, and next spring,
in response to the earnest entreaty of the American friends, He proceeded to the
United States, arriving in New York in April 1912. During the next nine months
He traveled through America, from coast to coast, addressing all sorts and conditions
of men -- university students, Socialists, Mormons, Jews, Christians, Agnostics,
Esperantists, Peace Societies, New Thought Clubs, Women's Suffrage Societies,
and speaking in churches of almost every denomination, in each case giving addresses
suited to the audience and the occasion. On December 5 He sailed for Great Britain,
where He passed six weeks, visiting Liverpool, London, Bristol and Edinburgh.
In Edinburgh He gave a notable address to the Esperanto Society, in which He announced
that He had encouraged the Bahá'ís of the East to study Esperanto in order to
further better understanding between the East and the West. After two months in
Paris, spent as before in daily interviews and conference, He proceeded to Stuttgart,
where He held a series of very successful meetings with the German Bahá'ís; thence
to Budapest and Vienna, founding new groups in these places, returning, in May
1913, to Egypt, and on December 5, 1913, to Haifa.
Return
to Holy Land
He was then
in His seventieth year, and His long and arduous labors, culminating in these
strenuous Western tours, had
worn out His physical frame. After His return He wrote the following pathetic
Tablet to the believers in East and West: -- Friends,
the time is coming when I shall be no longer with you. I have done all that could
be done. I have served the Cause of Baha'u'llah to the utmost of my ability. I
have labored night and day all the years of my life.
Oh, how I long to see the believers shouldering the responsibilities of the Cause!
Now is the time to proclaim the Kingdom of Abha (i.e. The Most Glorious!). Now
is the hour of union and concord! Now is the day of the spiritual harmony of the
friends of God! ... I
am straining my ears toward the East and toward the West, toward the North and
toward the South, that haply I may hear the songs of love and fellowship raised
in the meetings of the believers. My days are numbered, and save this there remains
none other joy for me.
Oh, how I yearn to see the friends united, even as a shining strand of pearls,
as the brilliant Pleiades, as the rays of the sun, the gazelles of one meadow!
The
mystic nightingale is singing for them; will they not listen? The bird of paradise
is warbling; will they not hear? The Angel of the Kingdom of Abha is calling to
them; will they not hearken? The Messenger of the Covenant is pleading; will they
not heed? Ah!
I am waiting, waiting to hear the glad news that the believers are the embodiment
of sincerity and loyalty, the incarnation of love and amity and the manifestation
of unity and concord! Will
they not rejoice my heart? Will they not satisfy my yearnings? Will they not heed
my pleadings? will they not fulfill my hopes? Will they not answer my call? I
am waiting, I am patiently waiting!
The enemies of the Bahá'í Cause, whose hopes had risen high when the Bab fell
a victim to their fury, when Baha'u'llah was driven from His native land and made
a prisoner for life, and again at the passing of Baha'u'llah -- these enemies
once more took heart when they saw the physical weakness and
weariness of Abdu'l-Baha after His return from His Western travels. But again
their hopes were doomed to disappointment. In a short time Abdu'l-Baha was able
to write: -- Unquestionably
this physical body and human energy would have been unable to stand the constant
wear and tear...but the aid and help of the Desired One were the Guardian and
Protector of the weak and humble Abdu'l-Baha. ... Some have asserted that Abdu'l-Baha
is on the eve of bidding his last farewell to the world, that his physical energies
are depleted and drained and that ere long these complications will put an end
to his life. This is far from the truth. Although in the outward estimation of
the Covenant-breakers and defective-minded the body is weak on account of ordeals
in the Blessed Path, yet, Praise be to God! through the providence of the Blessed
Perfection the spiritual forces are in the utmost rejuvenation and strength. Thanks
be to God that now, through the blessing and benediction of Baha'u'llah, even
the physical energies are fully restored, divine joy is obtained, the supreme
glad-tidings are resplendent and ideal happiness overflowing.
Both during the European War and after its close Abdu'l-Baha, amidst countless
other activities, was able to pour forth a series of great and inspiring letters
which, when communications were reopened, roused believers throughout the world
to new enthusiasm and zeal for service. Under the inspiration of these letters
the Cause progressed by leaps and bounds and everywhere the Faith showed signs
of new vitality and vigor.
War Time at Haifa
A remarkable instance
of the foresight of Abdu'l-Baha was supplied during the months immediately preceding
the war. During peacetimes there was usually a large number of pilgrims at Haifa,
from Persia and other regions of the globe. About six months before the outbreak
of war one of the old
Bahá'ís living at Haifa presented a request from several believers of Persia for
permission to visit the Master. Abdu'l-Baha did not grant the permission, and
from that time onwards gradually dismissed the pilgrims who were at Haifa, so
that by the end of July 1914 none remained. When, in the first days of August
the sudden outbreak of the Great War startled the world, the wisdom of His precaution
became apparent. When
the war broke out, Abdu'l-Baha, Who had already spent fifty-five years of His
life in exile and prison, became again virtually a prisoner of the Turkish Government.
Communication with friends and believers outside Syria was almost completely cut
off, and He and His little band of followers were again subjected to straitened
circumstances, scarcity of food and great personal danger and inconvenience. During
the war Abdu'l-Baha had a busy time in ministering to the material and spiritual
wants of the people about Him. He personally organized extensive agricultural
operations near Tiberias, thus securing a great supply of wheat, by means of which
famine was averted, not only for the Bahá'ís but for hundreds of the poor of all
religions in Haifa and Akka, whose wants He liberally supplied. He took care of
all, and mitigated their sufferings as far as possible. To hundreds of poor people
He would give a small sum of money daily. In addition to money He gave bread.
If there was no bread He would give dates or something else. He made frequent
visits to Akka to comfort and help the believers and poor people there. During
the time of war He had daily meetings of the believers, and through His help the
friends remained happy and tranquil throughout those troublous years.
Sir Abdu'l-Baha Abbas, K.B.E.
Great was the rejoicing in Haifa when, on the 23rd day of September, 1918, at
3 P.M., after some twenty-four hours' fighting, the city was taken by British
and Indian cavalry, and the horrors of war conditions under the Turkish rule came
to an end. From
the beginning of the British occupation, large numbers
of soldiers and Government officials of all ranks, even the highest, sought interviews
with Abdu'l-Baha, delighting in His illuminating talks, His breadth of view and
depth of insight, His dignified courtesy and genial hospitality. So profoundly
impressed were the Government representatives by His noble character and His great
work in the interests of peace conciliation, and the true prosperity of the people,
that a knighthood of the British Empire was conferred on Abdu'l-Baha, the ceremony
taking place in the garden of the Military Governor of Haifa on the 27th day of
April, 1920.
Last
Years
During the
winter of 1919-1920 the writer had the great privilege of spending two and half
months as the guest of Abdu'l-Baha at Haifa and intimately observing His daily
life. At that time, although nearly seventy-six years of age, He was still remarkably
vigorous, and accomplished daily an almost incredible amount of work. Although
often very weary He showed wonderful powers of recuperation, and His services
were always at the disposal of those who needed them most. His unfailing patience,
gentleness, kindliness and tact made His presence like a benediction. It was His
custom to spend a large part of each night in prayer and meditation. From early
morning until evening, except for a short siesta after lunch, He was busily engaged
in reading and answering letters from many lands and in attending to the multitudinous
affairs of the household and of the Cause. In the afternoon He usually had a little
relaxation in the form of a walk or a drive, but even then He was usually accompanied
by one or two, or a party, of pilgrims with whom He would converse on spiritual
matters, or He would find opportunity by the way of seeing and ministering to
some of the poor. After His return He would call the friends to the usual evening
meeting in His salon. Both at lunch and supper He used to entertain a number of
pilgrims and friends, and charm His guests with happy and humorous stories as
well as precious talks on a great variety of subjects. "My home is the home of
laughter and mirth," He declared, and indeed it
was so. He delighted in gathering together people of various races, colors, nations
and religions in unity and cordial friendship around His hospitable board. He
was indeed a loving father not only to the little community at Haifa, but to the
Bahá'í community throughout the world.
The
Passing of Abdu'l-Baha
Abdu'l-Baha's
manifold activities continued with little abatement despite increasing bodily
weakness and weariness up till the last day or two of His life. On Friday, November
25, 1921, He attended the noonday prayer at the Mosque in Haifa, and afterwards
distributed alms to the poor with His own hands, as was His wont. After lunch
He dictated some letters. When He had rested He walked in the garden and had a
talk with the gardener. In the evening He gave His blessing and counsel to a loved
and faithful servant of the household who had been married that day, and afterwards
He attended the usual meeting of the friends in His own salon. Less that three
days later, about 1:30 A.M. on Monday, November 28, He passed away so peacefully
that, to the two daughters watching by His bedside, it seemed as if He had gone
quietly to sleep. The
sad news soon spread throughout the town and was flashed over the wires to all
parts of the world. The next morning (Tuesday, November 29) the funeral took place:
...
a funeral the like of which Haifa, nay Palestine itself, had surely never seen
... so deep was the feeling that brought so many thousands of mourners together,
representative of so many religions, races and tongues.
The High Commissioner, Sir Herbert Samuel, the Governor of Jerusalem, the Governor
of Phoenicia, the Chief Officials of the Government, the Consuls of the various
countries, resident in Haifa, the heads of the various religious communities,
the notables of Palestine, Jews, Christians, Moslems, Druses, Egyptians, Greeks,
Turks, Kurds, and a host of his American, European and native friends, men, women
and children, both of high and low degree ... all, about ten thousand in number,
mourning the loss of their Beloved One. ... "O
God, my God!" the people wailed with one accord, "Our father has left us, our
father has left us!" ... they slowly wended their way up Mount Carmel, the Vineyard
of God. ... After two hours' walking, they reached the garden of the Tomb of the
Bab. ... As the vast concourse pressed round ... representatives of the various
denominations, Moslems, Christians and Jews, all hearts being ablaze with fervent
love of Abdu'l-Baha, some on the impulse of the moment, other prepared, raised
their voices in eulogy and regret, paying their last homage of farewell to their
loved one. So united were they in their acclamation of him, as the wise educator
and reconciler of the human race in this perplexed and sorrowful age, that there
seemed to be nothing left for the Bahá'ís to say. -- The Passing of Abdu'l-Baha,
by Lady Blomfield and Shoghi Effendi, pp. 11, 12. Nine
speakers, all of them prominent representatives of the Muslim, Christian and Jewish
communities, bore eloquent and moving witness to their love and admiration of
the pure and noble life which had just drawn to its close. Then the casket was
slowly passed to its simple and hallowed resting-place. Surely
here was a fitting tribute to the memory of One Who had labored all His life for
unity of religions, of races, of tongues -- a tribute, and also a proof, that
His lifework had not been in vain, that the ideals of Baha'u'llah, which were
His inspiration, nay, His very life, were already beginning to permeate the world
and to break down the barriers of sect and caste that for centuries had alienated
Muslim, Christian, Jew, and the other diverse factions into which the human family
has been riven.
Writings and Addresses
The Writings of
Abdu'l-Baha are very numerous and are mostly in the form of letter to believers
and inquirers. A great
many of His talks and addresses have also been recorded and many have been published.
Of the thousands of pilgrims who have visited Him at Akka and Haifa a large number
have written descriptions of their impressions, and many of these records are
now available in printed form. His
teachings are thus very completely preserved, and they cover a very wide range
of subjects. With many of the problems of both East and West He dealt more fully
than His Father had done, giving more detailed applications of the general principles
laid down by Baha'u'llah. A number of His Writings have not yet been translated
into any Western language but enough is already available to give deep and full
knowledge of the more important principles of His teaching. He
spoke Persian, Arabic and Turkish. In His Western tours His talks and addresses
were always interpreted, obviously losing much of their beauty, eloquence and
force in the process, yet such was the power of the Spirit which accompanied His
words that all who heard Him were impressed.
Station
of Abdu'l-Baha
The unique station assigned to Abdu'l-Baha by the Blessed Perfection is indicated
in the following passage written by the latter: -- "When the ocean of My presence
hath ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces towards Him
Whom God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root." And again:
--" ... refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who hath branched
from this mighty Stock." Abdu'l-Baha Himself wrote the following: -- "In accordance
with the explicit text of the Kitab-i-Aqdas Baha'u'llah hath made the Center of
the Covenant the Interpreter of His Word -- a Covenant so firm and mighty that
from the beginning of time until the present day no religious Dispensation hath
produced its like." The
very completeness of the servitude with which Abdu'l-Baha promulgated the Faith
of Baha'u'llah in East and West resulted at times in a confusion of belief concerning
His station on the part of believers. Realizing the purity of the spirit animating
His word and
deed, surrounded by religious influences marking the breakdown of their traditional
doctrines, a number of Bahá'ís felt that they honored Abdu'l-Baha by likening
Him to a Manifestation, or hailing Him as the "return of Christ." Nothing caused
Him such intense grief as this failure to perceive that His capacity to serve
Baha'u'llah proceeded from the purity of the mirror turned to the Sun of Truth,
and not from the Sun itself.
Moreover, unlike previous Dispensations, the Faith of Baha'u'llah had within it
the potency of a universal human society. During Abdu'l-Baha's mission covering
the period 1892 to 1921, the Faith evolved through successive stages of development
in the direction of a true world order, Its development required continuous direction
and specific instruction from Abdu'l-Baha, Who alone knew the fullness of that
new potent inspiration brought to earth in this age. Until His own Will and Testament
was revealed after Abdu'l-Baha's departure from the flesh, and its significance
was expounded by Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith, the Bahá'ís almost
inevitably attributed their beloved Master's guidance a degree of spiritual authority
equaling that of the Manifestation.
The
effects of such naive enthusiasm are no longer felt
within the Bahá'í community, but with
a sounder realization of the mystery of that incomparably
devotion and servitude, the Bahá'ís can
today all the more consciously appreciate the unique
character of the mission which Abdu'l-Baha fulfilled.
The Faith which in 1892 seemed so weak and helpless
in the physical exile and imprisonment of its Exemplar
and Interpreter, has since, with irresistible power,
raised up communities in many countries,1
and challenges the weakness of a decaying civilization
with a body of teachings that alone reveal the future
of a despairing humanity.
The Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha itself set forth with complete clarity the
mystery of the stations of the Bab and of Baha'u'llah, and His own mission: This
is the foundation of the belief of the people of Baha (may my life be offered
up for them): "His Holiness, the Exalted One (the Bab), is the Manifestation of
the Unity and Oneness of God and the Forerunner of the Ancient Beauty. His Holiness
the Abha Beauty (may my life be a sacrifice for His steadfast friends) is the
Supreme Manifestation of God and the Dayspring of His Most Divine Essence. All
others are servants unto Him and do His bidding."
By this statement, and by numerous others in which Abdu'l-Baha emphasized the
importance of basing one's knowledge of the Faith upon His general Tablets, a
foundation for unity of belief was established, with the result that the differences
of understanding caused by reference to His Tablets to individuals, in which the
Master answered personal questions, rapidly disappeared. Above all, the establishment
of a definite administrative order, with the Guardian at its head, transferred
to institutions all authority previously wielded in the form of prestige and influence
by individual Bahá'ís in the various local groups.
Exemplar
of Bahá'í Life
Baha'u'llah was preeminently the Revealer of the Word. His forty years' imprisonment
gave Him but limited opportunities of intercourse with His fellowmen. To Abdu'l-Baha,
therefore, fell the important task of becoming the exponent of the Revelation,
the Doer of the Word, the Great Exemplar of the Bahá'í life in actual contact
with the world of today, in the most diverse phases of its myriad activities.
He showed that it is still possible, amid the whirl and rush of modern life, amid
the self-love and struggle for material prosperity that everywhere prevail, to
live the life of entire devotion to God and to the service of one's fellows, which
Christ and Baha'u'llah and all the Prophets have demanded of men. Through trial
and vicissitudes, calumnies, and treachery on the one hand, and through love and
praise, devotion and veneration on the other, He stood
like a lighthouse founded on a rock, around which wintry tempests rage and the
summer ocean plays, His poise and serenity remaining ever steadfast and unshaken.
He lived the life of faith, and calls on His followers to live it here and now.
He raised amid a warring world the Banner of Unity and Peace, the Standard of
a New Era, and He assures those who rally to its support that they shall be inspired
by the Spirit of the New Day. It is the same Holy Spirit which inspired the Prophets
and Saints of old, but it is a new outpouring of that Spirit, suited to the needs
of the new time.
Footnotes:
Page
51: 1.
Thursday, 5th Jamadi I, 1260 A.H. [back]
Page 53: 1.
The tradition is quoted in a Tablet of Baha'u'llah; see Chapter 5 of this book.
[back]
Page 54: 1.
It is interesting to compare this story with that of the birth of John the Baptist;
see St. Luke's Gospel, Chapter I. [back]
Page 68: 1.
In 1969, 139 independent states and 173 significant territories and islands. (See
Epilogue) [back]
Chapter 5
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter
Five: What is a Bahá'í?
Man
must show forth fruits. A fruitless man, in the words of His Holiness the Spirit
(i.e. Christ), is like a fruitless tree, and a fruitless tree is fit for fire.
-- BAHA'U'LLAH, Words of Paradise. Herbert
Spencer once remarked that by no political alchemy is it possible to get golden
conduct out of leaden instincts, and it is equally true that by no political alchemy
is it possible to make a golden society out of leaden individuals. Baha'u'llah,
like all previous Prophets, proclaimed this truth and taught that in order to
establish the Kingdom of God in the world, it must first be established in the
hearts of men. In examining the Bahá'í teachings, therefore, we shall commence
with the instructions of Baha'u'llah for individual conduct, and try to form a
clear picture of what it means to be a Bahá'í.
Living
the Life
When asked on one occasion: "What is a Bahá'í?" Abdu'l-Baha replied: "To be a
Bahá'í simply means to love all the world; to love humanity and try to serve it;
to work for universal peace and universal brotherhood." On another occasion He
defined a Bahá'í as "one endowed with all the perfections of man in activity."
In one of His London talks He said that a man may be a Bahá'í even if He has never
heard the name of Baha'u'llah. He added: -- The
man who lives the life according to the teachings of Baha'u'llah is already a
Bahá'í. On the other hand, a man may call himself a Bahá'í for fifty years, and
if he does not live the life he is not a Bahá'í. An ugly man may call himself
handsome, but he deceives no one, and a black man may call himself white, yet
he deceives no one, not even himself.
One who does not know God's Messengers, however, is like a plant growing in the
shade. Although it knows not the sun, it is, nevertheless, absolutely dependent
on it. The great Prophets are spirits suns, and Baha'u'llah is the sun of this
"day" in which we live. The suns of former days have warmed and vivified the world,
and had those suns not shone, the earth would not be cold and dead, but it is
the sunshine of today that alone can ripen the fruits which the suns of former
days have kissed into life.
Devotion to God
In order
to attain to the Bahá'í life in all its fullness, conscious and direct relations
with Baha'u'llah are as necessary as is sunshine for the unfolding of the lily
or the rose. The Bahá'í worships not the human personality of Baha'u'llah, but
the Glory of God manifest through that personality. He reverences Christ and Muhammad
and all God's former Messengers to mankind, but he recognizes Baha'u'llah as the
bearer of God's Message for the new age in which we live, as the Great World teacher
Who has come to carry on and consummate the work of His predecessors. Intellectual
assent to a creed does not make a man a Bahá'í, nor does outward rectitude of
conduct. Baha'u'llah requires of His followers wholehearted and complete devotion.
God alone has the right to make such a demand, but Baha'u'llah speaks as the Manifestation
of God, and the Revealer of His Will. Previous Manifestations have been equally
clear on this point. Christ said: "If any man come after me, let him deny himself,
and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall
lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it."
In different words, all the Divine Manifestations have made this same demand from
Their followers, and the history of religion shows clearly that as long as the
demand has been frankly recognized and accepted, religion has
flourished, despite all earthly opposition, despite affliction, persecution and
martyrdom of the believers. On the other hand, whenever compromise has crept in,
and "respectability" has taken the place of complete consecration, then religion
has decayed. It has become fashionable, but it has lost its power to save and
transform, its power to work miracles. True religion has never yet been fashionable.
God grant that one day it may become so; but it is still true, as in the days
of Christ, that "strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it." The gateway of spiritual birth, like the
gateway of natural birth, admits men only one by one, and without encumbrances.
If, in the future, more people succeed in entering that way than in the past,
it will not be because of any widening of the gate, but because of a greater disposition
on the part of men to make the "great surrender" which God demands; because long
and bitter experience has at last brought them to see the folly of choosing their
own way instead of God's way.
Search
After Truth
Baha'u'llah enjoins justice on all His followers and defines it as: -- "The freedom
of man from superstition and imitation, so that he may discern the Manifestations
of God with the eyes of Oneness, and consider all affairs with keen sight." --
Words of Wisdom. It
is necessary that each individual should see and realize for himself the Glory
of God manifest in the human temple of Baha'u'llah, otherwise the Bahá'í faith
would be for him but a name without meaning. The call of the Prophets to mankind
has always been that men should open their eyes, not shut them, use their reason,
not suppress it. It is clear seeing and free thinking, not servile credulity,
that will enable them to penetrate the clouds of prejudice, to shake off the fetters
of blind imitation, and attain to the realization of the truth of a new Revelation.
He who would
be a Bahá'í needs to be a fearless seeker after truth, but he should not confine
his search to the material
plane. His spiritual perceptive powers should be awake as well as his physical.
He should use all the faculties God has given him for the acquisition of truth,
believing nothing without valid and sufficient reason. If his heart is pure, and
his mind free from prejudice, the earnest seeker will not fail to recognize the
Divine Glory in whatsoever temple it may become manifest. Baha'u'llah further
declares: -- Man
should know his own self, and know those things that lead to loftiness or to baseness,
to shame or to honor, to wealth or to poverty. -- Tablet of Tarazat. The
source of all learning is the knowledge of God, exalted be His Glory! and this
cannot be attained save through the knowledge of His divine Manifestation. --
Words of Wisdom.
The Manifestation is the Perfect Man, the great Exemplar for Mankind, the First
Fruit of the tree of humanity. Until we know Him we do not know the latent possibilities
within ourselves. Christ tells us to consider the lilies how they grow, and declares
that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. The lily grows
from a very unattractive-looking bulb. If we had never seen a lily in bloom, never
gazed on its matchless grace of foliage and flower, how could we know the reality
contained in that bulb? We might dissect it most carefully and examine it most
minutely, but we should never discover the dormant beauty which the gardener knows
how to awaken. So until we have seen the Glory of God revealed in the Manifestation,
we can have no idea of the spiritual beauty latent in our own nature and in that
of our fellows. By knowing and loving the Manifestation of God and following His
teachings we are enabled, little by little, to realize the potential perfections
within ourselves; then, and not till then, does the meaning and purpose of life
and of the universe become apparent to us.
Love
of God
To know the Manifestation of God means also to love Him. One is impossible without
the other. According to Baha'u'llah,
the purpose of man's creation is that he may know God and adore Him. He says in
one of His Tablets: -- The
cause of the creation of all contingent beings has been love, as it is said in
the well-known tradition, "I was a hidden treasure and I loved to be known. Therefore
I created the creation in order to be known." And
in the Hidden Words He says: -- O
Son of Being! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love
can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant. O
Son of the Wondrous Vision! I have breathed within thee a breath of My own
Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a beloved
other than Me?
To be God's lover! That is the sole object of life for the Bahá'í. To have God
as his closest companion and most intimate friend, his Peerless Beloved, in Whose
Presence is fullness of joy! And to love God means to love everything and everybody,
for all are of God. The real Bahá'í will be the perfect lover. He will love everyone
with a pure heart, fervently. He will hate no one. He will despise no one, for
he will have learned to see the Face of the Beloved in every face, and to find
His traces everywhere. His love will know no limit of sect, nation, class or race.
Baha'u'llah says: -- "Of old it hath been revealed: `Love of one's country is
an element of the Faith of God.' The Tongue of Grandeur hath ... in the day of
His manifestation proclaimed: `It is not his to boast who loveth his country,
but it is his who loveth the world.'" -- Tablet of the World. And again: -- "Blessed
is he who prefers his brother before himself; such an one is of the people of
Baha." -- Words of Paradise.
Abdu'l-Baha tells us we must be "as one soul in many bodies, for the more we love
each other, the nearer we shall be to God." To an American audience He said: --
Likewise
the divine religions of the holy Manifestations of God are in reality one though
in name and nomenclature they differ. Man must be a lover of the light no matter
from what day-spring it may appear. He must be a lover of the rose no matter what
soil it may be growing. He must be a seeker of the truth no matter from what source
it come. Attachment to the lantern is not loving the light. Attachment to the
earth is not befitting but enjoyment of the rose which develops from the soil
is worthy. Devotion to the tree is profitless but partaking of the fruit is beneficial.
Luscious fruits no matter upon what tree they grow or where they may be found
must be enjoyed. The word of truth no matter which tongue utters it must be sanctioned.
Absolute verities no matter in what book they be recorded must be accepted. If
we harbor prejudice it will be the cause of deprivation and ignorance. The strife
between religions, nations and races arises from misunderstanding. If we investigate
the religions to discover the principles underlying their foundations we will
find they agree, for the fundamental reality of them is one and not multiple.
By this means the religionists of the world will reach their point of unity and
reconciliation. Again
He says: -- Every
soul of the beloved ones must love the others and withhold not his possessions
and life from them, and by all means he must endeavor to make the other joyous
and happy. But these others must also be disinterested and self-sacrificing. Thus
may this Sunrise flood the horizons, this Melody gladden and make happy all the
people, this divine Remedy become the panacea for every disease, this Spirit of
Truth become the cause of life for every soul.
Severance
Devotion to God implies also severance from everything that is not of God, severance,
that is, from all selfish and worldly, and ever other-worldly desires. The path
of God may
lie through riches or poverty, health or sickness, through palace or dungeon,
rose garden or torture chamber. Whichever it be, the Bahá'í will learn to accept
his lot with "radiant acquiescence." Severance does not mean stolid indifference
to one's surroundings or passive resignation to evil conditions; nor does it mean
despising the good things which God has created. The true Bahá'í will not be callous,
nor apathetic nor ascetic. He will find abundant interest, abundant work and abundant
joy in the Path of God, but he will not deviate one hair's breadth from that path
in pursuit of pleasure nor hanker after anything that God has denied him. When
a man becomes a Bahá'í, God's Will becomes his will, for to be at variance with
God is the one thing he cannot endure. In the path of God no errors can appall,
no troubles dismay him. The light of love irradiates his darkest days, transmutes
suffering into joy, and martyrdom itself into an ecstasy of bliss. Life is lifted
to the heroic plane and death becomes a glad adventure. Baha'u'llah says:--
He that hath in his heart even less than a mustard
seed of love for anything beside Me, verily he cannot enter My Kingdom. -- Suratu'l-Haykal O
Son of Man! If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou seekest
My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally
live in thee.
O My Servant! Free thyself from the fetters of this world, and loose thy soul
from the prison of self. Seize thy chance, for it will come to thee no more. --
The Hidden Words.
Obedience
Devotion to God involves implicit obedience to His revealed Commands even when
the reason for these Commands is not understood. The sailor implicitly obeys his
captain's orders, even when he does not know the reason for them, but his acceptance
of authority
is not blind. He knows full well that the captain has served a thorough probation,
and given ample proofs of competence as a navigator. Were it not so, he would
be foolish indeed to serve under him. So the Bahá'í must implicitly obey the Captain
of his Salvation, but he will be foolish indeed if he has not first ascertained
that this Captain has given ample proofs of trustworthiness. Having received such
proofs, however, to refuse obedience would be even greater folly, for only by
intelligent and open-eyed obedience to the wise master can we reap the benefits
of his wisdom, and acquire this wisdom for ourselves. Be the captain never so
wise, if none of the crew obey him how shall the ship reach its port or the sailors
learn the art of navigation? Christ clearly pointed out that obedience is the
path of knowledge. He said: -- "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God,
or whether I speak of myself." -- St. John vii, 16-17. So Baha'u'llah says: "Faith
in God, and the knowledge of Him, cannot be fully attained except ... by practicing
all that He hath commanded and all that is revealed in the Book from the Pen of
Glory." -- Tablet of Tajalliyat. Implicit
obedience is not a popular virtue in these democratic days, and indeed entire
submission to the will of any mere man would be disastrous. But the Unity of Humanity
can be attained only by complete harmony of each and all with the Divine will.
Unless that Will be clearly revealed, and men abandon all other leaders and obey
the Divine Messenger, then conflict and strife will go on, and men will continue
to oppose each other, to devote a large part of their energy to frustrating the
efforts of their brother men, instead of working harmoniously together for the
Glory of God and the common good.
Service
Devotion
to God implies a life of service to our fellow- creatures. We can be of service
to God in no other way. If we turn our backs on our fellowmen, we are turning
our backs
upon God. Christ said, "Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these,
ye did it not to Me." So Baha'u'llah says: -- "O son of man! If thine eyes be
turned towards mercy, forsake the things that profit thee, and cleave unto that
which will profit mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose
thou for thy neighbor that which thou choosest for thyself." -- Words of Paradise.
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- In
the Bahá'í Cause arts, sciences and all crafts are counted as worship. The man
who makes a piece of note- paper to the best of his ability, conscientiously,
concentrating all his forces on perfecting it, is giving praise to God. Briefly,
all effort and exertion put forth by man from the fullness of his heart is worship,
if it is prompted by the highest motives and the will to do service to humanity.
This is worship: to serve mankind and to minister to the needs of the people.
Service is prayer. A physician ministering to the sick, gently, tenderly, free
from prejudice and believing in the solidarity of the human race, is giving praise.
Teaching
The real Bahá'í will not only believe in the teachings of Baha'u'llah, but find
in them the guide and inspiration of his whole life and joyfully impart to others
the knowledge that is the wellspring of his own being. Only thus will he receive
in full measure "the power and confirmation of the Spirit." All cannot be eloquent
speakers or ready writers, but all can teach by "living the life." Baha'u'llah
says: -- The
people of Baha must serve the Lord with wisdom, teach others by their lives, and
manifest the light of God in their deeds. The effect of deed is in truth more
powerful than that of words. -- Words of Paradise
The Bahá'í will, however, on no account force his ideas on
those who do not wish to hear them. He will attract people to the Kingdom of God,
not try to drive them into it. He will be like the good shepherd who leads his
flock, and charms the sheep by his music, rather than like the one who, from behind,
urges them on with dog and stick. Baha'u'llah
says in the Hidden Words: -- O
Son of Dust! The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even
as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a seeker, and the
lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart until he gazeth upon the
beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the seeds of wisdom and knowledge in the
pure soil of the heart, and keep them hidden, till the hyacinths of divine wisdom
spring from the heart and not from mire and clay.
Again He says, in the Tablet of Ishraqat: -- O
people of Baha! Ye are the dawning-places of the Love and daysprings of the Favor
of God. Defile not your tongues with cursing or execrating anyone, and guard your
eyes from that which is not worthy. Show forth that which ye possess (i.e. Truth).
If it be accepted, the aim is attained. If not, to rebuke or interfere with him
who rejects is vain. Leave him to himself, and advance towards God, the Protector,
the Self-Subsistent. Be not the cause of sorrow, how much less of sedition and
strife! It is hoped that ye may be nurtured in the shade of the tree of Divine
Bounty and act as God has willed for you. Ye are all leaves of one tree and drops
of one sea.
Courtesy
and Reverence
Baha'u'llah says: -- O
people of God! I exhort you to courtesy. Courtesy is indeed ... the lord of all
virtues. Blessed is he who is adorned with the mantle of Uprightness and illumined
with the light of Courtesy. He who is endowed with Courtesy (or Reverence) is
endowed with a great station. It is hoped that this Wronged One, and all, will
attain to it, hold unto it and observe it. This is the Irrefutable Command which
hath flowed from the pen of the Greatest Name. -- Tablet of the World.
Again and again He repeats: -- "Let all the nations of the world consort with
each other with joy and fragrance. Consort ye, O people, with the people of all
religions with joy and fragrance."
Abdu'l-Baha says in a letter to the Bahá'ís of America: -- Beware!
Beware! Lest ye offend any heart! Beware! Beware! Lest ye hurt any soul!
Beware! Beware! Lest ye deal unkindly toward any person! Beware! Beware! Lest
ye be the cause of hopelessness to any creature! Should one become the cause
of grief to any one heart, or of despondency to any one soul, it were better to
hide oneself in the lowest depths of the earth than to walk upon the earth.
He teaches that as the flower is hidden in the bud, so a spirit from God dwells
in the heart of every man, no matter how hard and unlovely his exterior. The true
Bahá'í will treat every man, therefore, as the gardener tends a rare and beautiful
plant. He knows that no impatient interference on his part can open the bud into
a blossom; only God's sunshine can do that, therefore his aim is to bring that
life-giving sunshine into all darkened hearts and homes. Again,
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- Among
the teachings of Baha'u'llah is one requiring man, under all conditions and circumstances,
to be forgiving, to love his enemy and to consider an ill-wisher as a well-wisher.
Not that one should consider another as an enemy and then put up with him ...
and be forbearing toward him. This is hypocrisy and not real love. Nay, rather,
you must see your enemies as friends, your ill-wishers as well-wishers and treat
them accordingly. Your love and kindness must be real ... not merely forbearance,
for forbearance, if not of the heart, is hypocrisy.
Such counsel appears unintelligible and self-contradictory until we realize that
while the outer carnal man may be a hater and ill-wisher, there is in everyone
an inner, spiritual nature which is the real man, from whom only love and goodwill
can proceed. It is to this real, inner man in each of our neighbors that we must
direct our thought and love. When he awakens into activity, the outer man will
be transformed and renewed.
The Sin-covering
Eye
On no subject are the Bahá'í teaching more imperative and uncompromising than
on the requirement to abstain from faultfinding. Christ spoke very strongly on
the same subject, but it has now become usual to regard the Sermon on the Mount
as embodying "Counsels of Perfection" which the ordinary Christian cannot be expected
to live up to. Both Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha are at great pains to make it
clear that on this subject They mean all They say. We read in the Hidden Words:
-- O
Son of Man! Breather not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a
sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to
this I bear witness.
O Son of Being! Ascribe not to any soul that which thou wouldst not have ascribed
to thee, and say not that which thou doest not. This is My command unto thee,
do thou observe it.
Abdu'l-Baha tells us: -- To
be silent concerning the faults of others, to pray for them, and to help them,
through kindness, to correct their faults.
To look always at the good and not at the bad. If a man has ten good qualities
and one bad one, to look at the ten and forget the one; and if a man has ten bad
qualities and one good one, to look at the one and forget the ten.
Never to allow ourselves to speak one unkind word about another, even though that
other be our enemy. To
an American friend He writes: -- The
worst human quality and the most great sin is backbiting, more especially when
it emanates from the tongues of the believers of God. If some means were devised
so that the doors of backbiting could be shut eternally, and each one of the believers
of God unsealed his lips in praise of others, then the teachings of His Holiness
Baha'u'llah would be spread, the hearts illumined, the spirits glorified, and
the human world would attain to everlasting felicity.
Humility
While we are commanded to overlook the faults of others, and see their virtues,
we are commanded, on the other hand, to find out our own faults and take no account
of our virtues. Baha'u'llah says in the Hidden Words: -- O
Son of Being! How couldst thou forge thine own faults and busy thyself with
the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.
O Emigrants! The tongue I have designed for the mention of Me, defile it not
with detraction. If the fire of self overcome you, remember your own faults and
not the faults of My creatures, inasmuch as every one of you knoweth his own self
better than he knoweth others.
Abdu'l-Baha says: - Let
your life be an emanation of the Kingdom of Christ. He came not to be ministered
unto, but to minister. ... In the religion of Baha'u'llah all are servants and
maidservants, brothers and sisters. As soon as one feels a little better than,
a little superior to, the rest, he is in a dangerous position, and unless he casts
away the seed of such an evil thought, he is not a fit instrument for the service
of the Kingdom. Dissatisfaction
with oneself is a sign of progress. The soul who is satisfied with himself is
the manifestation of Satan, and the one who is not contented with himself is the
manifestation of the Merciful. If a person has a thousand good qualities he must
not look at them; nay, rather he must strive to find out his own defects and imperfections.
...However
much a man may progress, yet he is imperfect, because there is always a point
ahead of him. No sooner does he look up towards that point than he become dissatisfied
with his own condition, and aspires to attain to that. Praising one's own self
is the sign of selfishness. -- Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, 1914.
Although we are commanded to recognize and sincerely repent of our sins, the practice
of confession to priests and others is definitely forbidden. Baha'u'llah says
in the Glad Tidings: -- The
sinner, when his heart is free from all save God, must seek forgiveness from God
alone. Confession before the servants (i.e. before men) is not permissible, for
it is not the means or the cause of Divine Forgiveness. Such confession before
the creatures leads to one's humiliation and abasement, and God -- exalted by
His Glory -- does not wish for the humiliation of His servants. Verily He is Compassionate
and Beneficent. The sinner must, between himself and God, beg for mercy from the
Sea of Mercy and implore pardon from the Heaven of Forgiveness.
Truthfulness
and Honesty
Baha'u'llah
says in the Tablet of Tarazat: -- Verily,
Honesty is the door of tranquillity to all in the world, and the sign of glory
from the presence of the Merciful One. Whosoever attains thereto has attained
to treasures of wealth and affluence. Honesty is the greatest door to the security
and tranquillity of mankind. The stability of every affair always depends on it,
and the worlds of honor, glory and affluence are illumined by its light. ...
O people of Baha! Honesty is the best garment for your temples and the most splendid
crown for your heads. Adhere thereto by the Command of the Omnipotent Commander. Again
He says: -- "The principle of faith is to lessen words and to increase deeds.
He who words exceed his acts, know verily, that his nonbeing is better than his
being, his death better than his life." Abdu'l-Baha
says: -- Truthfulness
is the foundation of all the virtues of mankind. Without truthfulness, progress
and success in all of the worlds are impossible for a soul. When this holy attribute
is established in man, all the other divine qualities will also become realized.
Let the light of truth and honesty shine from your faces so that all may know
that your word, in business or pleasure, is a word to trust and be sure of. Forget
self and work for the whole. (Message to the London Bahá'ís, October 1911). Self-Realization
Baha'u'llah constantly urges men to realize and give full expression to the perfections
latent within them--the true inner self as distinguished from the limited outer
self, which at best is but the temple, and too often is the prison of the real
man. In the Hidden Words He says:-- O
Son of Being! With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of
strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light.
Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is perfect and My command
is binding. Question it not, nor have doubt thereof.
O Son of Spirit! I created thee rich, why dost thou bring thyself down to
poverty? Noble I made thee, wherewith dost thou abase thyself? Out of the essence
of knowledge I gave thee being, why seekest thou enlightenment from anyone beside
Me? Out of the clay of love I molded thee, how dost thou busy thyself with another?
Turn thy sight unto thyself, that thou mayest find Me standing within thee, mighty,
powerful and self-subsisting. O
My Servant! Thou art even as a finely tempered sword concealed in the darkness
of its sheath and its value hidden from the artificer's knowledge. Wherefore come
forth from the sheath of self and desire that thy worth may be made resplendent
and manifest unto all the world. O
My Friend! Thou art the day-star of the heavens of My holiness, let not the
defilement of the world eclipse thy splendor. Rend asunder the veil of heedlessness,
that from behind the clouds thou mayest emerge resplendent and array all things
with the apparel of life. The
life to which Baha'u'llah calls His followers is surely one of such nobility that
in all the vast range of human possibility there is nothing more lofty or beautiful
to which man could aspire. Realization of the spiritual self in ourselves means
realization of the sublime truth that we are from God and to Him shall we return.
This return to God is the glorious goal of the Bahá'í; but to attain this goal
the only path is that of obedience to His chosen Messengers, and especially to
His Messenger for the time in which we live, Baha'u'llah, the prophet of the New
Era.
Chapter 6
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter
Six: Prayer
Prayer
is a ladder by which everyone may ascend to Heaven.
-- MUHAMMAD.
Conversation
with God "Prayer,"
says Abdu'l-Baha, "is conversation with God." In order that God may make known
His Mind and Will to men, He must speak to them in a language which they can understand,
and this He does by the mouths of His Holy Prophets. While these Prophets are
alive in the body They speak with men face to face and convey to them the Message
of God, and after Their death Their message continues to reach men's minds through
Their recorded sayings and writings. But this is not the only way in which God
can commune with and inspire those whose hearts are seeking after truth, wherever
they are, and whatever their native race or tongue. By this language the Manifestation
continues to hold converse with the faithful after His departure from the material
world. Christ continued to converse with and inspire His disciples after His crucifixion.
In fact He influenced them more powerfully than before; and with other Prophets
it has been the same. Abdu'l-Baha speaks much of this spiritual language. He says,
for instance: -- We
should speak in the language of heaven -- in the language of the spirit -- for
there is a language of the spirit and heart. It is as different from our language
as our own language is different from that of the animals, who express themselves
only by cries and sounds. It
is the language of the spirit which speaks to God. When, in prayer, we are freed
from all outward things and turn to God, then it is as if in our hearts we hear
the voice of God. Without words we speak, we communicate, we converse with God
and hear the answer. ... All of us, when we attain to a truly spiritual condition,
can hear the Voice of God. (from a talk reported by Miss Ethel J. Rosenberg).
Baha'u'llah declares that the higher spiritual truths can be communicated only
by means of this spiritual language. The spoken or written word is quite inadequate.
In a little book called The Seven Valleys, in which He describes the journey of
travelers from the earthly dwelling to the Divine Home, He says, in speaking of
the more advanced stages of the journey: -- The
tongue is unable to give an account of these, and utterance falls exceedingly
short. The pen is useless in this court, and the ink gives no result but blackness.
... Heart alone can communicate to heart the state of the knower; this is not
the work of a messenger, nor can it be contained in letters.
The
Devotional Attitude
In order that we may attain the spiritual condition in which conversation with
God becomes possible, Abdu'l-Baha says: -- We
must strive to attain to that condition by being separated from all things and
from the people of the world and by turning to God alone. It will take some effort
on the part of man to attain to that condition, but he must work for it, strive
for it. We can attain to it by thinking and caring less for material things and
more for the spiritual. The further we go from the one, the nearer we are to the
other. The choice is ours. Our
spiritual perception, our inward sight must be opened, so that we can see the
signs and traces of God's spirit in everything. Everything can reflect to us the
light of the Spirit. (from a talk reported by Miss Ethel J. Rosenberg). Baha'u'llah
has written: -- "That seeker ... at the dawn of every day ... should commune with
God, and, with all his soul, persevere in the quest of his Beloved. He should
consume every wayward thought from the flame of His loving mention. ..." -- Gleaning
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 265.
In the same way, Abdu'l-Baha declares: -- When
man allows the spirit, through his soul, to enlighten his understanding, then
does he contain all creation. ...
But on the other hand, when man does not open his mind and heart to the blessing
of the spirit, but turns his soul towards the material side, towards the bodily
part of his nature, then is he fallen from his high place and he becomes inferior
to the inhabitants of the lower animal kingdom. Again,
Baha'u'llah writes: -- Deliver
your souls, O people, from the bondage of self, and purify them from all attachment
to anything besides Me. Remembrance of Me cleanseth all things from defilement,
could ye but perceive it. ... Intone,
O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, ... that the
sweetness of thy melody may kindle thine own soul, and attract the hearts of all
men. Whoso reciteth, in the privacy of his chamber, the verses revealed by God,
the scattering angels of the Almighty shall scatter abroad the fragrance of the
words uttered by his mouth. ... -- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah,
pp. 294-295.
Necessity
for a Mediator
According to Abdu'l-Baha:--
A mediator is necessary between man and the Creator -- one who receives the full
light of the Divine Splendor and radiates it over the human world, as the earth's
atmosphere receives and diffuses the warmth of the sun's rays. If
we wish to pray, we must have some object on which to concentrate. If we turn
to God, we must direct our hearts to a certain center. If man worships God otherwise
than through His Manifestation, he must first form a conception of God, and that
conception is created by his own mind. As the finite cannot comprehend the Infinite,
so God is not to be comprehended in this fashion. That which man conceives with
his own mind he comprehends. That which he can comprehend is not God. That conception
of God which a man forms for himself is but a phantasm, an image, an imagination,
an illusion. There is no connection between such a conception and the Supreme
Being. If
a man wishes to know God, he must find Him in the perfect mirror, Christ or Baha'u'llah.
In either of these mirrors he will see reflected the Sun of Divinity. As
we know the physical sun by its splendor, by its light and heat, so we know God,
the Spiritual Sun, when He shines forth from the temple of Manifestation, by His
attributes of perfection, by the beauty of His qualities and by the splendor of
His light. (from a talk to Mr. Percy Woodcock, at Akka, 1909). Again
He says:
Unless the Holy Spirit become intermediary, one cannot attain directly to the
bounties of God. Do not overlook the obvious truth, for it is self-evident that
a child cannot be instructed without a teacher, and knowledge is one of the bounties
of God. The soil is not covered with grass and vegetation without the rain of
the cloud; therefore the cloud is the intermediary between the divine bounties
and the soil. ... The light hath a center and if one desire to seek it otherwise
than from the center, one can never attain to it. ... Turn thine attention to
the days of Christ; some people imagine that without the Messianic outpourings
it was possible to attain to truth, but this very imagination became the cause
of the deprivation.
A man who tries to worship God without turning to His Manifestation is like a
man in a dungeon trying through his imagination to revel in the glories of the
sunshine.
Prayer Indispensable and Obligatory
The use
of prayer is enjoined upon Bahá'ís in no uncertain terms. Baha'u'llah says in
the Kitab-i-Aqdas: -- Chant
(or recite) the Words of God every morning and evening. The one who neglects this
has not bee faithful to the Covenant of God and His agreement, and he who turns
away from it today is of those who have turned away from God. Fear God, O my people!
Let not too much reading (of the Sacred Word) and actions by day or night make
you proud. To chant but one verse with joy and gladness is better for you than
reading all the Revelations of the Omnipotent God with carelessness. Chant the
Tablets of God in such measure that ye be not overtaken with fatigue and depression.
Burden not the soul so as to cause exhaustion and langour, but rather refresh
it that thus it may soar on the wings of Revelation to the Dawning-place of proofs.
This brings you nearer to God, were ye of those who understand. -- Kitab-i-Aqdas
Abdu'l-Baha says to a correspondents: -- "O thou spiritual friend! Know thou that
prayer is indispensable and obligatory, and man under no pretext whatever is excused
therefrom unless he be mentally unsound or an insurmountable obstacle prevent
him." Another
correspondent asked: "Why pray? What is the wisdom thereof, for God has established
everything and executes all affairs after the best order -- therefore, what is
the wisdom in beseeching and supplicating and in stating one's wants and seeking
help?"
Abdu'l-Baha replied: -- Know
thou, verily it is becoming in a weak one to supplicate to the Strong One, and
it behooveth a seeker of bounty to beseech the Glorious Bountiful One. When one
supplicates to his Lord, turns to Him and seeks bounty from His Ocean, this supplication
brings light to his heart, illumination to his sight, life to his soul and exaltation
to his being. During
thy supplications to God and thy reciting, "Thy Name is my healing," consider
how thine heart is cheered, thy soul delighted by the spirit of the love of God,
and thy mind attracted to the Kingdom of God! By these attractions one's ability
and capacity increase. When the vessel is enlarged the water increases, and when
the thirst grows the bounty of the cloud becomes agreeable to the taste of man.
This is the mystery of supplication and the wisdom of stating one's wants. (from
a tablet to an American believer, translated by Ali Kuli Khan, October 1908). Baha'u'llah
has revealed three daily obligatory prayers. The believer is free to choose any
one of these three prayers, but is under the obligation of reciting one of them,
and in the manner Baha'u'llah has prescribed.
Congregational
Prayer
The prayers which Baha'u'llah has ordained as a daily obligation for Bahá'ís are
to be said privately. Only in the case of the Prayer for the Dead has Baha'u'llah
commanded congregational prayer, and the only requirement is that the believer
who reads it aloud, and all others present, should stand. This differs from the
Islamic practice of congregational prayer in which the believers stand in rows
behind an imam, who leads the prayer, which is prohibited in the Bahá'í Faith.
These ordinances,
which are in accordance with Baha'u'llah's abolition of professional clergy, do
not mean that He attached no value to meetings for worship. Regarding the value
of gathering for prayer, Abdu'l-Baha spoke as follows: -- Man
may say: "I can pray to God whenever I wish, when the feelings of my heart are
drawn to God; when I am in the wilderness, when I am in the city, or wherever
I may be. Why should I go where others are gathered upon a special day, at a certain
hour, to unite my prayers with theirs, when I may not be in a frame of mind for
praying?" To
think in this way is useless imagination, for where many are gathered together
their force is greater. Separate soldiers fighting alone and individually have
not the force of a united army. If all the soldiers in this spiritual war gather
together, then their united spiritual feelings help each other, and their prayers
become acceptable. (from notes taken by Miss Ethel J. Rosenberg).
Prayer
the Language of Love
To someone who asked whether prayer was necessary, since presumably God knows
the wishes of all hearts, Abdu'l-Baha replied: -- If
one friend loves another, is it not natural that he should wish to say so? Though
he knows that that friend is aware of his love, does he still not wish to tell
him of it? ... It is true that God knows the wishes of all hearts; but the impulse
to pray is a natural one, springing from man's love to God. ...
Prayer need not be in words, but rather in thought and action. But if this love
and this desire are lacking, it is useless to try to force them. Words without
love mean nothing. If a person talks to you as an unpleasant duty, finding neither
love nor enjoyment in the meeting, do you wish to converse with him? (article
in Fortnightly Review, Jul.-Dec. 1911, p. 784 by Miss E. S. Stevens). In
another talk He said: -- In
the highest prayer, men pray only for the love of God, not because they fear Him
or hell, or hope for bounty or heaven. ... When a man falls in love with a human
being, it is impossible for him to keep from mentioning the name of his beloved.
How much more difficult is it to keep from mentioning the Name of God when one
has come to love Him. ... The spiritual man finds no delight in anything save
in commemoration of God. (from notes of Miss Alma Robertson and other pilgrims,
November and December 1900).
Deliverance
from Calamities
According to the teaching of the Prophets, disease and all other forms of calamity
are due to disobedience to the Divine Commands. Even disasters due to floods,
hurricanes, and earthquakes are attributed by Abdu'l-Baha indirectly to this cause.
The suffering
that follows error is not vindictive, however, but educative and remedial. It
is God's Voice proclaiming to man that he has strayed from the right path. If
the suffering is terrible, it is only because the danger of wrongdoing is more
terrible, for "the wages of sin is death." Just
as calamity is due to disobedience, so deliverance from calamity can be obtained
only be obedience. There is no chance or uncertainty about the matter. Turning
from God inevitably brings disaster, and turning to God as inevitably brings blessing.
As the whole
of humanity is one organism, however, the welfare of each individual depends not
only on his own behavior, but on that of his neighbors. If one does wrong, all
suffer in greater or less degree; while if one does well, all benefit. Each has
to bear his neighbor's burdens, to some extent, and the best of mankind are those
who bear the biggest burdens. The saints have always suffered abundantly; the
Prophets have suffered superlatively. Baha'u'llah says in the Book of Iqan:--"You
must undoubtedly have been informed of the tribulations, the poverty, the ills,
and the degradation that have befallen every Prophet of God and His companions.
You must have heard how the heads of their followers were sent as presents unto
different cities. ..." -- Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 73. This
is not because the saints and Prophets have merited
punishment above other men. Nay, they often suffer for the sins of others, and
choose to suffer, for the sake of others. Their concern is for the world's welfare,
not for their own. The prayer of the true lover of humanity is not that he, as
an individual, may escape poverty, ill-health or disaster, but that mankind may
be saved from ignorance and error and the ills that inevitably flow from them.
If he wishes health or wealth for himself, it is in order that he may serve the
Kingdom, and if physical health and wealth are denied him, he accepts his lot
with "radiant acquiescence," well knowing that there is a right wisdom in whatever
befalls him in the Path of God. Abdu'l-Baha
says: -- Grief
and sorrow do not come to us by chance; they are sent by the Divine Mercy for
our perfecting. When grief and sorrow come, then will a man remember his Father
Who is in Heaven, Who is able to deliver him from his humiliations. The more a
man is chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth
by him.
At first sight it may seem very unjust that the innocent should suffer for the
guilty, but Abdu'l-Baha assures us that the injustice is only apparent and that,
in the long run, perfect justice prevails. He writes: -- As
to the subject of babes and children and weak ones who are afflicted by the hands
of the oppressors ... for those souls there is a recompense in another world ...
that suffering is the greatest mercy of God. Verily that mercy of the Lord is
far better than all the comfort of this world and the growth and development appertaining
to this place of mortality.
Prayer
and Natural Law
Many find a difficulty in believing in the efficacy of prayer because they think
that answers to prayer would involve arbitrary interference with the laws of nature.
An analogy may
help to remove this difficulty. If a magnet be held over some iron filings the
latter will fly upwards and cling to it, but this involves no interference with
the law of gravitation. The force of gravity continues to act on the filings just
as before. What has happened is that a superior force has been brought into play
-- another force whose action is just as regular and calculable as that of gravity.
The Bahá'í view is that prayer brings into action higher forces, as yet comparatively
little known; but there seems no reason to believe that these forces are more
arbitrary in their action than the physical forces. The difference is that they
have not yet been fully studied and experimentally investigated, and their action
appears mysterious and incalculable because of our ignorance.
Another difficulty which some find perplexing is that prayer seems too feeble
a force to produce the great results often claimed to it. Analogy may serve to
clear up this difficulty also. A small force, when applied to the sluice gate
of a reservoir, may release and regulate an enormous flow of water-power, or,
when applied to the steering gear of an ocean liner, may control the course of
the huge vessel. In the Bahá'í view, the power that brings about answers to prayer
is the inexhaustible Power of God. The part of the suppliant is only to exert
the feeble force necessary to release the flow or determine the course of the
Divine Bounty, which is ever ready to serve those who have learned how to draw
upon it.
Bahá'í Prayers
Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha have revealed innumerable prayers for the use of Their
followers at various times and for various purposes. The greatness of conception
and depth of spirituality revealed in these utterances must impress every thoughtful
student, but only by making their use a regular and important part of one's daily
life can their significance be fully appreciated and their power for good realized.
Unfortunately, considerations of space prevent our giving more than a very few
short specimens of these prayers. For further examples the reader must be referred
to other works.
O my Lord! Make Thy beauty to be my food, and Thy
presence my drink, and Thy pleasure my hope, and praise of Thee my action, and
remembrance of Thee my companion, and the power of Thy sovereignty my succorer,
and Thy habitation my home, and my dwelling-place the seat Thou hast sanctified
from the limitations imposed upon them who are shut out as by a veil from Thee.
Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the Most Powerful. -- BAHA'U'LLAH.
I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created Me to know Thee and to worship
Thee. I testify, at this moment, to my powerlessness and to Thy might, to my poverty
and to Thy wealth. There
is none other God but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. -- BAHA'U'LLAH.
O my God! O my God! United the hearts of Thy servants and reveal to them Thy great
purpose. May they follow Thy commandments and abide in Thy law. Help them, O God,
in their endeavor, and grant them strength to serve Thee. O God! leave them not
to themselves, but guide their steps by the light of knowledge, and cheer their
hearts by Thy love. Verily, Thou art their Helper and their Lord. -- BAHA'U'LLAH. O
Thou kind Lord! Thou has created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed
that all shall belong to the same household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all
Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered
together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.
O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest
life upon all, Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and
all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy. O
Thou kind Lord! United all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one,
so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home.
May they all live together in perfect harmony. O God! Raise aloft the banner
of the oneness of mankind. O God! Establish the Most Great Peace. Cement
Thou, O God, the hearts together. O Thou kind Father, O God! Gladden our hearts
through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy
Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in
the Stronghold of Thy Providence. Thou art the Might and Powerful. Thou art
the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlookest the shortcomings of all mankind!
-- ABDU'L-BAHA.
O Thou Almighty! I am a sinner, but Thou art the Forgiver! I am full of shortcomings,
but Thou art the Compassionate! I am in darkness of error, but Thou art the Light
of Pardon! Therefore,
O Thou Benevolent God, forgive my sings, grant Thy Bestowals, overlook my faults,
provide for me a shelter, immerse me in the Fountain of Thy Patience and heal
me of all sickness and disease. Purify
and sanctify me. Give me a portion from the outpouring of holiness, so that sorrow
and sadness may vanish, joy and happiness descend, despondency and hopelessness
be changed into cheerfulness and trustfulness, and courage take the place of fear.
Verily Thou art the Forgiver, the Compassionate, and Thou art the Generous, the
Beloved! -- ABDU'L-BAHA.
O compassionate God! Thanks be to Thee for Thou hast awakened and made me conscious.
Thou hast given me a seeing eye and favored me with a hearing ear; hast led me
to Thy Kingdom and guided me to Thy Path. Thou hast shown me the right way and
caused me to enter the Ark of Deliverance. O God! Keep me steadfast and make me
firm and staunch. Protect me from violent tests and preserve and shelter me in
the strongly fortified fortress of Thy Covenant and Testament. Thou art the Powerful!
Thou art the Seeing! Thou art the Hearing! O Thou the Compassionate God! Bestow
upon me a heart which, like unto glass, may be illumined with the light of Thy
love, and confer upon me a thought which may change this world into a rose-garden
through the spiritual bounty. Thou art the Compassionate, the Merciful! Thou art
the Great Beneficent God! -- ABDU'L-BAHA.
Bahá'í prayer is not, however, confined
to the use of prescribed forms, important as those are.
Baha'u'llah teaches that one's whole life should be
a prayer, that work done in the right spirit is worship,
that every thought, word and deed devoted to the Glory
of God and the good of one's fellows is prayer, in the
truest sense of the world.1
Footnotes:Page
100: 1.
On the subject of Intercessory Prayer, see Chapter 11. [back]
Chapter 7
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter
Seven: Health and Healing
Turning the face towards God brings healing to the
body, the mind and the soul. -- ABDU'L-BAHA.
Body
and Soul According
to the Bahá'í teaching the human body serves a temporary purpose in the development
of the soul, and, when that purpose has been served, is laid aside; just as the
eggshell serves a temporary purpose in the development of the chick, and, when
that purpose has been served, is broken and discarded. Abdu'l-Baha says that the
physical body is incapable of immortality, for it is a composite thing, built
up of atoms and molecules, and, like all things that are composed, must, in time,
become decomposed.
The body should be the servant of the soul, never its master, but it should be
a willing, obedient and efficient servant, and should be treated with the consideration
which a good servant deserves. If it is not properly treated, disease and disaster
result, with injurious consequences to master as well as servant.
Oneness
of All Life
The essential oneness of all the myriad forms and grades of life is one of the
fundamental teachings of Baha'u'llah. Our physical health is so linked up with
our mental, moral and spiritual health, and also with the individual and social
health of our fellowmen, nay, even with the life of the animals and plants, that
each of these is affected by the others to a far greater extent than is usually
realized. There
is no command of the Prophet, therefore, to whatever department of life it may
primarily refer, which does not concern bodily health. Certain of the teachings,
however, have a
more direct bearing on physical health than others, and these we may now proceed
to examine.
Simple
Life
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- Economy
is the foundation of human prosperity. The spendthrift is always in trouble. Prodigality
on the part of any person is an unpardonable sin. We must never live on others
like a parasitic plant. Every person must have a profession, whether it be literary
or manual, and must live a clean, manly, honest life, an example of purity to
be imitated by others. It is more kingly to be satisfied with a crust of stale
bread than to enjoy a sumptuous dinner of many courses, the money for which comes
out of the pockets of others. The mind of a contented person is always peaceful
and his heart at rest. -- Bahá'í Scriptures, p. 453.
Animal food is not forbidden, but Abdu'l-Baha says: -- "Fruits
and grains [will be the foods of the future]. The time will come when meat will
no longer be eaten. Medical science is only in its infancy, yet it has shown that
our natural diet is that which grows out of the ground." -- Ten Days in the Light
of Akka, by Julie M. Grundy.
Alcohol
and Narcotics
The use of narcotics and intoxicants of any kind, except as remedies in case of
illness, is strictly forbidden by Baha'u'llah.
Enjoyments
The Bahá'í
teaching is based on moderation, not asceticism. Enjoyment of the good and beautiful
things of life, both material and spiritual, is not only encouraged but enjoined.
Baha'u'llah says: "Deprive not yourselves of that which has been created for you."
Again He says: "It is incumbent upon
you that exultation and glad tidings be manifest in your faces."
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- All
that has been created is for man, who is at the apex of creation, and he must
be thankful for the divine bestowals. All material things are for us, so that
through our gratitude we may learn to understand life as a divine benefit. If
we are disgusted with life we are ingrates, for our material and spiritual existence
are the outward evidences of the divine mercy. Therefore we must be happy and
spend our time in praises, appreciating all things. Asked
whether the Bahá'í prohibition of gambling applies to game of every description,
Abdu'l-Baha replied: -- No,
some games are innocent, and if pursued for pastime there is no harm. But there
is danger that pastime may degenerate into waste of time. Waste of time is not
acceptable in the Cause of God. But recreation which may improve the bodily powers,
as exercise, is desirable. -- A Heavenly Vista, p. 9.
Cleanliness
Baha'u'llah says, in the Book of Aqdas: -- Be
the essence of cleanliness among mankind ... under all circumstances conform yourselves
to refined manners ... let no trace of uncleanliness appear on your clothes. ...
Immerse yourselves in pure water; a water which hath been used is not allowable.
... Verily We have desired to see in you the manifestations of Paradise on earth,
so that there may be diffused from you that whereat the hearts of the favored
ones shall rejoice. -- Kitab-i-Aqdas. Mirza
Abu'l-Fadl, in his book, Bahá'í Proofs (p. 89), points out the extreme importance
of these commands, more especially in some parts of the East, where water of the
foulest description is often used for household purposes, for bathing
and even for drinking, and horribly insanitary conditions abound, causing a vast
amount of preventable disease and misery. These conditions, often supposed to
be sanctioned by the prevailing religion, can be changed, among Orientals, only
by the commandment of one who is believed to have Divine authority. In many parts
of the Western Hemisphere, too, a wonderful transformation would result were cleanliness
accepted not only as next to godliness, but as an essential part of godliness.
Effect
of Obedience to Prophetic Commands
The bearing on health of these commands relating to the simple life, hygiene,
abstinence from alcohol and opium, etcetera, is too obvious to call for much comment,
although their vital importance is apt to be greatly underestimated. Were they
to be generally observed, most of the infectious diseases and a good many others
would soon vanish from among men. The amount of illness caused by neglect of simple
hygienic precautions and by indulgence in alcohol and opium is prodigious. Moreover,
obedience to these commands would not only affect health, but would have an enormous
effect for good on character and conduct. Alcohol and opium affect a man's conscience
long before they affect his gait or cause obvious bodily disease, so that the
moral spiritual gain from abstinence would be even greater than the physical.
With regard to cleanliness, Abdu'l-Baha says: -- "External cleanliness, although
it is but a physical thing, has great influence upon spirituality. ... The fact
of having a pure and spotless body exercises an influence upon the spirit of man."
Were the
commands of the Prophets concerning chastity in sexual relations generally observed,
another fertile cause of disease would be eliminated. The loathsome venereal diseases,
which wreck the health of so many thousands today, innocent as well as guilty,
babes as well as parents, would very soon be entirely a thing of the past. Were
the commands of the Prophets concerning justice, mutual aid, loving one's neighbor
as oneself, carried out, how could overcrowding, sweated labor and sordid poverty
on the one hand, together with self-indulgence, idleness and sordid luxury on
the other, continue to work mental, moral and physical ruin? Simple
obedience to the hygienic and moral commands of Moses, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad
or Baha'u'llah would do more in the way of preventing disease than all the doctors
and all the public health regulations in the world have been able to accomplish.
In fact, it seems certain that were such obedience general, good health would
also become general. Instead of lives being blighted by disease of cut off in
infancy, youth or prime, as so frequently happens now, men would live to a ripe
old age, like sound fruits that mature and mellow ere they drop from the bough.
The Prophet as Physician
We live in a world, however, where from time immemorial obedience to the commands
of the Prophets has been the exception rather than the rule; where love of self
has been a more prevalent motive than love of God; where limited and party interests
have taken precedence of the interests of humanity as a whole; where material
possessions and sensual pleasures have been preferred to the social and spiritual
welfare of mankind. Hence have arisen fierce competition and conflict, oppression
and tyranny, extremes of wealth and poverty -- all those conditions which breed
disease, mental and physical. As a consequence, the whole tree of humanity is
sick, and every leaf on the tree shares in the general sickness. Even the purest
and holiest have to suffer for the sins of others. Healing is needed -- healing
of humanity as a whole, of nations and of individuals. So Baha'u'llah, like His
inspired predecessors, not only shows how health is to be maintained, but also
how it may be recovered when lost. He comes as the Great Physician, the Healer
of the world's sicknesses, both of body and of mind. Healing
by Material Means
In the Western world of today there is evident a remarkable revival of belief
in the efficacy of healing by mental and spiritual means. Indeed many, in their
revolt against the materialistic ideals about disease and its treatment which
prevailed in the nineteenth century, have gone to the opposite extreme of denying
that material remedies or hygienic methods have any value whatsoever. Baha'u'llah
recognizes the value of both material and spiritual remedies. He teaches that
the science and art of healing must be developed, encouraged and perfected, so
that all means of healing may be used to the best advantage, each in its appropriate
sphere. When members of Baha'u'llah's own family were sick, a professional physician
was called in, and this practice is recommended to His followers. He says: "Should
ye be attacked by illness or disease, consult skillful physicians." -- Kitab-i-Aqdas.
This is
quite in accordance with the Bahá'í attitude towards science and art generally.
All sciences and arts which are for the benefit of mankind, even in a material
way, are to be esteemed and promoted. Through science man becomes the master of
material things; through ignorance he remains their slave. Baha'u'llah
writes: -- Do
not neglect medical treatment when it is necessary, but leave it off when health
has been restored. Treat disease through diet, by preference, refraining from
the use of drugs; and if you find what is required in a single herb, do not resort
to a compound medicament. ... Abstain from drugs when the health is good, but
administer them when necessary. -- Tablet to a Physician In
one of His Tablets Abdu'l-Baha says: -- O
seeker after truth! There are two ways of healing sickness, material means and
spiritual means. The first way is through the use of material remedies. The second
consists in praying to God and in turning to Him. Both means should be used and
practiced. ... Moreover, they are not incompatible, and you should accept the
physical remedies as coming from the mercy and favor of God Who has revealed and
made manifest medical knowledge, so that His servants may profit by this kind
of treatment also.
He teaches that, were our natural tastes and instincts not vitiated by foolish
and unnatural modes of living, they would become reliable guides in the choice
both of appropriate diet and of medicinal fruits, herbs and other remedies, as
is the case with wild animals. In an interesting talk on healing, recorded in
Some Answered Questions (p. 298), He says in conclusion: -- It
is therefore evident that it is possible to cure by foods, aliments, and fruits;
but as to-day the science of medicine is imperfect, this fact is not yet fully
grasped. When the science of medicine reaches perfection, treatment will be given
by foods, aliments, fragrant fruits, and vegetables, and by various waters, hot
and cold in temperature. Even
when the means of healing are material, the power that heals is really Divine,
for the attributes of the herb of mineral are from the Divine Bestowals. "All
depends upon God. Medicine is merely an outward form or means by which we obtain
heavenly healing."
Healing
by Nonmaterial Means
He teaches that there are also many methods of healing without material means.
There is a "contagion of health," as well as a contagion of disease, although
the former is very slow and has a small effect, while the latter is often violent
and rapid in its action. Much
more powerful effects result from the patient's own
mental states, and "suggestion" may play an important part in determining these
states. Fear, anger, worry, et cetera, are very prejudicial to health, while hope,
love, joy, et cetera, are correspondingly beneficial. Thus
Baha'u'llah says: -- Verily
the most necessary thing is contentment under all circumstances; by this one is
preserved from morbid conditions and lassitude. Yield not to grief and sorrow:
they cause the greatest misery. Jealousy consumeth the body and anger doth burn
the liver: avoid these two as you would a lion. -- Tablet to a Physician.
And Abdu'l-Baha says: -- "Joy gives us wings. In times of joy our strength is
more vital, our intellect keener. ... But when sadness visits us our strength
leaves us." Of
another form of mental healing Abdu'l-Baha writes that it results: -- from
the entire concentration of the mind of a strong person upon a sick person, when
the latter expects with all his concentrated faith that a cure will be effected
from the spiritual power of the strong person, to such an extent that there will
be a cordial connection between the strong person and the invalid. The strong
person makes every effort to cure the sick patient, and the sick patient is then
sure of receiving a cure. From the effect of these mental impressions an excitement
of the nerves is produced, and this impression and this excitement of the nerves
will become the cause of the recovery of the sick person. -- Some Answered Questions,
p. 294.
All these methods of healing, however, are limited in their effects, and may fail
to effect a cure in severe maladies.
The Power
of the Holy Spirit
The most potent means of healing is the Power of the Holy Spirit. ... This does
not depend on contact, nor on sight, nor upon presence. ... Whether the disease
be light or severe, whether there be a contact of bodies or not, whether a personal
connection be established between the sick person and the healer or not, this
healing takes place through the power of the Holy Spirit. -- Some Answered Questions,
p. 295.
In a talk with Miss Ethel Rosenberg, in October 1904, Abdu'l-Baha said: -- The
healing that is by the power of the Holy Spirit needs no special concentration
or contact. It is through the wish or desire and the prayer of the holy person.
The one who is sick may be in the East and the healer in the West, and they may
not have been acquainted with each other, but as soon as that holy person turns
his heart to God and begins to pray, the sick one is healed. This is a gift belonging
to the Holy Manifestations and those who are in the highest station.
Of this nature, apparently, were the works of healing performed by Christ and
His apostles, and similar works of healing have been attributed to holy men in
all ages. Both Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha were gifted with this power, and similar
powers are promised to Their faithful followers.
Attitude
of the Patient
In order that the power of spiritual healing may be brought fully into operation
certain requirements are necessary on the part of the patient, of the healer,
of the patient's friends and of the community at large. On
the part of the patient the prime requisite is, turning with all the heart to
God, with implicit trust both in His Power and in His Will to do whatever is best.
To an American lady, in August 1912, Abdu'l-Baha said: -- All
of these ailments will pass away and you will receive perfect physical and spiritual
health. ... Let your heart be confident and assured that through the Bounty of
Baha'u'llah, through the Favor of Baha'u'llah, everything will become pleasant
for you. ... But you must turn your face wholly towards the Abha (All-Glorious)
Kingdom, giving perfect attention -- the same attention that Mary Magdalene gave
to His Holiness Christ -- and I assure you that you will get physical and spiritual
health. You are worthy. I give you the glad tidings that you are worthy because
your heart is pure. ... Be confident! Be happy! Be rejoiced! Be hopeful!
Although in this particular case Abdu'l-Baha guaranteed the attainment of sound
physical health, He does not do so in every case, even where there is strong faith
on the part of the individual. To a pilgrim in Akka He said: -- The
prayers which were written for the purpose of healing are both for the spiritual
and material healing. ... If healing is best for the patient, surely it will be
granted. For some who are sick, healing for them shall be the cause of other ills.
Thus it is that Wisdom does not decree the answer to some prayers. O
maid-servant of God. The Power of the Holy Spirit heals both material and spiritual
ills. -- Daily Lessons Received at Akka, p. 95. Again
He writes to one who is ill: -- Verily
the Will of God acts sometimes in a way for which mankind is unable to find out
the reason. The causes and reasons shall appear. Trust in God and confide in Him,
and resign thyself to the Will of God. Verily thy God is affectionate, compassionate
and merciful ... and will cause His Mercy to descend upon Thee.
He teaches that spiritual health is conducive to physical health, but physical
health depends upon many factors, some of which are outside the control of the
individual. Even the most exemplary spiritual attitude on the part of the individual,
therefore,
may not ensure physical health in every case. The holiest men and women sometimes
suffer illness. Nevertheless,
the beneficent influence on bodily health which results from a right spiritual
attitude is far more potent than is generally imagined, and is sufficient to banish
ill-health in a large proportion of cases. Abdu'l-Baha wrote to an English lady:
-- "You have written about the weakness of your body. I ask from the Bounties
of Baha'u'llah that your spirit may become strong, that through the strength of
your spirit your body also may be healed." Again
He says: -- God
hath bestowed upon man such wonderful powers, that he might ever look upward,
and receive, among other gifts, healing from His divine Bounty. But alas! man
is not grateful for this supreme good, but sleeps the sleep of negligence, being
careless of the great mercy which God has shown towards him, turning his face
away from the Light and going on his way in darkness.
The
Healer
The power of spiritual healing is doubtless common to all mankind in greater or
less degree, but, just as some men are endowed with exceptional talent for mathematics
or music, so others appear to be endowed with exceptional aptitude for healing.
These are the people who ought to make the healing art their lifework. Unfortunately,
so materialistic has the world become in recent centuries that the very possibility
of spiritual healing has to a large extent been lost sight of. Like all other
talents the gift of healing has to be recognized, trained and educated in order
that it may attain its highest development and power, and there are probably thousands
in the world today, richly dowered with natural aptitude for healing, in whom
this precious gift is lying dormant and inactive. When the potentialities of mental
and spiritual treatment are more fully realized, the healing art will be transformed
and ennobled and
its efficacy immeasurably increased. And when this new knowledge and power in
the healer are combined with lively faith and hope on the part of the patient,
wonderful results may be looked for. In
God must be our trust. There is no God but Him, the Healer, the Knower, the Helper.
... Nothing in earth or heaven is outside the grasp of God. O physician! In
treating the sick, first mention the name of Thy God, the Possessor of the Day
of Judgment, and then use what God hath destined for the healing of His creatures.
By My Life! The physician who has drunk from the Wine of My Love, his visit is
healing, and his breath is mercy and hope. Cling to him for the welfare of the
constitution. He is confirmed by God in his treatment. This knowledge (of
the healing art) is the most important of all the sciences, for it is the greatest
means from God, the Life-giver to the dust, for preserving the bodies of all people,
and He has put it in the forefront of all sciences and wisdoms. For this is the
day when you must arise for My Victory. Thy
Name is my healing, O my God, and remembrance of Thee is my remedy. Nearness to
Thee is my hope, and love for Thee is my companion. Thy mercy to me is my healing
and my succor in both this world and the world to come. Thou, verily, art the
All-Bountiful, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. -- BAHA'U'LLAH, Tablet to a Physician. Abdu'l-Baha
writes: -- He
who is filled with love of Baha, and forgets all things, the Holy Spirit will
be heard from his lips and the spirit of life will fill his heart. ... Words will
issue from his lips in strands of pearls, and all sickness and disease will be
healed by the laying on of the hands. O
thou pure and spiritual one! Turn thou toward God with thy heart beating with
His love, devoted to His praise, gazing towards His Kingdom and seeking help from
His Holy Spirit in a state of ecstasy, rapture, love, yearning, joy and fragrance.
God will assist thee, through a spirit from His Presence, to heal sickness and
disease. Continue
in healing hearts and bodies and seek healing for sick persons by turning unto
the Supreme Kingdom and by setting the heart upon obtaining healing through the
power of the Greatest Name and by the spirit of the Love of God.
How
All Can Help
The work of healing the sick, however, is a matter that concerns not the patient
and the practitioner only, but everyone. All must help, by sympathy and service,
by right living and right thinking, and especially by prayer, for of all remedies
prayer is the most potent. "Supplication and prayer on behalf of others," says
Abdu'l-Baha, "will surely be effective." The friends of the patient have a special
responsibility, for their influence, either for good or ill, is most direct and
powerful. In how many cases of sickness the issue depends mainly on the ministrations
of parents, friends or neighbors of the helpless sufferer!
Even the members of the community at large have an influence in every case of
sickness. In individual cases that influence may not appear great, yet in the
mass the effect is potent. Everyone is affected by the social "atmosphere" in
which he lives, by the general prevalence of faith or materialism, of virtue or
vice, of cheerfulness of depression; and each individual has his share in determining
the state of that social "atmosphere." It may not be possible for everyone, in
the present state of the world, to attain to perfect health, but it is possible
for everyone to become a "willing channel" for the health-giving power of the
Holy Spirit and thus to exert a healing, helpful influence both on his own body
and on all with whom he comes in contact. Few
duties are impressed on Bahá'ís more repeatedly and emphatically than that of
healing the sick, and many beautiful
prayers for healing have been revealed by both Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha.
The
Golden Age
Baha'u'llah
gives the assurance that, through harmonious cooperation of patients, healers
and the community in general, and by appropriate use of the various means to health,
material, mental and spiritual, the Golden Age may be realized, when, by the Power
of God, "all sorrow will be turned into joy, and all disease into health." Abdu'l-Baha
says that "when the Divine Message is understood, all troubles will vanish." Again
He says: --
When the material world and the divine world are well correlated, when the hearts
become heavenly and the aspirations pure, perfect connection shall take place.
Then shall this power produce a perfect manifestation. Physical and spiritual
diseases will then receive absolute healing.
Right
Use of Health
In
concluding this chapter it will be well to recall Abdu'l-Baha's teaching as to
the right use of physical health. In one of His Tablets to the Bahá'ís of Washington
He says: -- If
the health and well-being of the body be expended in the path of the Kingdom,
this is very acceptable and praiseworthy; and if it be expended to the benefit
of the human world in general -- even though it be to their material (or bodily)
benefit -- and be a means of doing good, that is also acceptable. But if the health
and welfare of man be spent in sensual desires, in a life on the animal plane,
and in devilish pursuits -- then disease were better than such health; nay, death
itself were preferable to such a life. If thou art desirous of health, wish thou
health for serving the Kingdom. I hope that thou mayest attain perfect insight,
inflexible resolution, complete health, and spiritual and physical strength in
order that thou mayest drink from the fountain of eternal life and be assisted
by the spirit of divine confirmation.
Chapter 8
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter Eight: Religious
Unity O
ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that marketh the preeminent
character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that We have, on the one hand,
blotted out from the pages of God's book whatsoever hath been the cause of strife,
of malice and mischief amongst the children of men, and have, on the other, laid
down the essential prerequisites of concord, of understanding, of complete and
enduring unity. Well is it with them that keep My statutes. -- BAHA'U'LLAH, Tablet
of the World.
Sectarianism
in the Nineteenth Century
Never,
perhaps, did the world seem farther away from religious unity than in the nineteenth
century. For many centuries had the great religious communities -- the Zoroastrian,
Mosaic, Buddhist, Christian, Muhammadan and others -- been existing side by side,
but instead of blending together into a harmonious whole they had been at constant
enmity and strife, each against the others. Not only so, but each had become split
up, by division after division, into an increasing number of sects which were
often bitterly opposed to each other. Yet Christ had said: "By this shall all
men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another, " and Muhammad
had said: "This your religion is the one religion. ... To you hath God prescribed
the faith which He commanded unto Noah, and which We have revealed unto thee,
and which We commanded unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus saying: `Observe this
faith, and be not divided into sects therein!'" The Founder of every one of the
great religions had called His followers to love and unity, but in every case
the aim of the Founder was to a large extent lost sight of in a welter of intolerance
and bigotry, formalism and hypocrisy, corruption and misrepresentation, schism
and contention. The aggregate number of more or less hostile sects in the world
was probably greater at
the commencement of the Bahá'í era than at any previous period in human history.
It seemed as if humanity at that time were experimenting with every possible kind
of religious belief, with every possible sort of ritual and ceremonial observance,
with every possible variety of moral code. At
the same time an increasing number of men were devoting their energies to fearless
investigation and critical examination of the laws of nature and the foundations
of belief. New scientific knowledge was being rapidly acquired and new solutions
were being found for many of the problems of life. The development of inventions
such as steamship and railway, postal system and press, greatly aided the diffusion
of ideas and the fertilizing contact of widely different types of thought and
life. The
so-called "conflict between religion and science" became a fierce battle. In the
Christian world Biblical criticism combined with physical science to dispute,
and to some extent to refute, the authority of the Bible, an authority that for
centuries had been the generally accepted basis of belief. A rapidly increasing
proportion of the population became skeptical about the teachings of the churches.
A large number even of religious priests secretly or openly entertained doubts
or reservations regarding the creeds adhered to by their respective denominations.
This ferment
and flux of opinion, with increasing recognition of the inadequacy of the old
orthodoxies and dogmas, and groping and striving after fuller knowledge and understanding,
were not confined to Christian countries, but were manifest, more or less, and
in different forms, among the people of all countries and religions.
The
Message of Baha'u'llah
It
was when this state of conflict and confusion was at its height, that Baha'u'llah
sounded His great trumpet call to humanity: -- That
all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds
of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity
of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled. ... These strifes
and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one
family. ... (words spoken to Professor Browne).
It
is a glorious message, but how are its proposals to be carried into effect? Prophets
have preached, poets have sung and saints have prayed about these things for thousands
of years, but diversities of religion have not ceased nor have strife and bloodshed
and discord been annulled. What is there to show that now the miracle is to be
accomplished? Are there any new factors in the situation? Is not human nature
the same as it ever was, and will it not continue to be the same while the world
lasts? If two people want the same thing, or two nations, will they not fight
for it in the future as they have done in the past? If Moses, Buddha, Christ and
Muhammad failed to achieve world unity will Baha'u'llah succeed? If all previous
faiths become corrupted and rent asunder into sects will not the Bahá'í faith
share the same fate? Let us see what answer the Bahá'í teachings give to these
and similar questions.
Can Human Nature Change?
Education and religion are alike based on the assumption that it is possible to
change human nature. In fact, it requires but little investigation to show that
the one thing we can say with certainty about any living thing is that it cannot
keep from changing. Without change there can be no life. Even the mineral cannot
resist change, and the higher we go in the scale of being, the more varied, complex,
and wonderful do the changes become. Moreover, in progress and development among
creatures of all grades we find two kinds of change -- one slow, gradual, often
almost imperceptible; and the other rapid, sudden and dramatic. The latter occur
at what are called "critical stages" of development. In the case of minerals we
find such critical stages at the melting and boiling points, for example, when
the solid suddenly becomes a liquid or the liquid becomes a gas. In the case of
plants we see such critical
stages when the seed begins to germinate, or the bud bursts into leaf. In the
animal world we see the same on every hand, as when the grub suddenly changes
into a butterfly, the chick emerges from its shell, or the babe is born from its
mother's womb. In the higher life of the soul we often see a similar transformation,
when a man is "born again" and his whole being becomes radically changes in its
aims, its character and activities. Such critical stages often affect a whole
species or multitude of species simultaneously, as when vegetation of all kinds
suddenly bursts into new life in springtime. Baha'u'llah
declares that just as lesser living things have times of sudden emergence into
new and fuller life, so for mankind also a "critical stage," a time of "rebirth,"
is at hand. Then modes of life which have persisted from the dawn of history up
till now will be quickly, irrevocably, altered, and humanity enter on a new phase
of life as different from the old as the butterfly is different from the caterpillar,
or the bird from the egg. Mankind as a whole, in the light of new Revelation,
will attain to a new vision of truth; as a whole country is illumined when the
sun rises, so that all men see clearly, where but an hour before everything was
dark and dim. "This is a new cycle of human power," says Abdu'l-Baha. "All the
horizons of the world are luminous, and the world will become indeed as a rose
garden and a paradise." The analogies of nature are all in favor of such a view;
the Prophets of old have with one accord foretold the advent of such a glorious
day; the signs of the times show clearly that profound and revolutionary changes
in human ideas and institutions are even now in progress. What could be more futile
and baseless therefore, than the pessimistic argument that, although all things
else change, human nature cannot change?
First
Steps Toward Unity
As
a means of promoting religious unity Baha'u'llah advocates the utmost charity
and tolerance, and calls on His followers to "consort with the people of all religions
with joy and gladness." In His last Will and Testament He says: -- Contention
and conflict hath He strictly forbidding in His book (Kitab-i-Aqdas); such is
the command of the Lord in this all-highest Revelation -- a command which He hath
exempted from all annulment and arrayed with the adorning of His confirmation.
O
ye people of the world! The Religion of God is for the sake of love and union;
make it not the cause of enmity and conflict. ... The hope is cherished, that
the people of Baha shall ever turn unto the Hallowed Word: "Lo! All things are
of God." -- the All-Glorious Word that, like unto water, quencheth the fire of
hate and rancor which doth smoulder in hearts and breasts. By this one Word shall
the diverse sects of the world attain unto the light of real union; verily the
Truth He speaketh, and to the Path He leadeth, and He is the Mighty, the Gracious,
the Beauteous.
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- All
must abandon prejudices and must even go to each other's churches and mosques,
for, in all of these worshipping places, the Name of God is mentioned. Since all
gather to worship God, what difference is there? None of them worship Satan. The
Muhammadans must go to the churches of the Christians and the Synagogues of the
Jews, and vice versa, the others must go to the Muhammadan Mosques. They hold
aloof from one another merely because of unfounded prejudices and dogmas. In America
I went to the Jewish Synagogues, which are similar to the Christian Churches,
and I saw them worshipping God everywhere. In
many of these places I spoke about the original foundations of the divine religions,
and I explained to them the proofs of the validity of the divine prophets and
of the Holy Manifestations. I encouraged them to do away with blind imitations.
All of the leaders must, likewise, go to each other's Churches and speak of the
foundation and of the fundamental principles of the divine religions. In the utmost
unity and harmony they must worship God, in the worshipping places of one another,
and must abandon fanaticism. Were
even these first steps accomplished and a state of friendly mutual tolerance established
between the various religious sects, what a wonderful change would be brought
about in the world! In order that real unity may be achieved, however, something
more than this is required. For the disease of sectarianism, tolerance is a valuable
palliative, but it is not a radical cure. It does not remove the cause of the
trouble.
The Problem of Authority
The different
religious communities have failed to unite in the past, because the adherents
of each have regarded the Founder of their own community as the one supreme authority,
and His law as the divine law. Any Prophet Who proclaimed a different message
was, therefore, regarded as an enemy of the truth. The different sects of each
community have separated for similar reasons. The adherents of each have accepted
some subordinate authority and regarded some particular version or interpretation
of the Founder's Message as the One True Faith, and all others as wrong. It is
obvious that while this state of matters exists no true unity is possible. Baha'u'llah,
on the other hand, teaches that all the Prophets were bearers of authentic messages
from God; that each in His day gave the highest teachings of all are essentially
in harmony, and are parts of a great plan for the education and the unification
of humanity. He calls on the people of all denominations to show their reverence
for their Prophets by devoting their lives to the accomplishment of that unity
for which all the Prophets labored and suffered. In His letter to Queen Victoria
He likens
the world to a sick man whose malady is aggravated because he has fallen into
the hands of unskilled physicians; and He tells how the remedy may be effected:
-- That
which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument
for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal
Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power
of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This, verily, is the truth,
and all else naught but error. -- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah,
p. 255.
Progressive
Revelation
A
great stumbling block to many, in the way of religious unity, is the difference
between the Revelations given by the different Prophets. What is commanded by
one is forbidden by another; how then can both be right, how can both be proclaiming
the Will of God? Surely the truth is One, and cannot change. Yes, the Absolute
Truth is One and cannot change, but the Absolute Truth is infinitely beyond the
present range of human understanding, and our conceptions of it must constantly
change. Our earlier, imperfect ideas will be by the Grace of God replaced, as
time goes on, by more and more adequate conceptions. Baha'u'llah says, in a Tablet
to some Bahá'ís of Persia: -- O
people! Words are revealed according to capacity so that the beginners may make
progress. The milk must be given according to measure so that the babe of the
world may enter into the Realm of Grandeur and be established in the Court of
Unity. It
is milk that strengthens the babe so that it can digest more solid food later
on. To say that because one Prophet is right in giving a certain teaching at a
certain time, therefore another Prophet must be wrong Who gives a different teaching
at a different time, is like saying that because milk is the best food
for the newborn babe, therefore, milk and nothing but milk should be the food
of the grown man also, and to give any other diet would be wrong! Abdu'l-Baha
says: Each
divine revelation is divided into two parts. The first part is essential and belongs
to the eternal world. It is the exposition of Divine truths and essential principles.
It is the expression of the Love of God. This is one in all the religions, unchangeable
and immutable. The second part is not eternal; it deals with practical life, transactions
and business, and changes according to the evolution of man and the requirements
of the time of each Prophet. For example. ... During the Mosaic period the hand
of a person was cut off in punishment of a small theft; there was a law of an
eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, but as these laws were not expedient in
the time of Christ, they were abrogated. Likewise divorce had become so universal
that there remained no fixed laws of marriage, therefore His Holiness Christ forbade
divorce. According
to the exigencies of the time, His Holiness Moses revealed ten laws for capital
punishment. It was impossible at that time to protect the community and to preserve
social security without these severe measures, for the children of Israel lived
in the wilderness of Tah, where there were no established courts of justice and
no penitentiaries. But this code of conduct was not needed in the time of Christ.
The history of the second part of religion is unimportant, because it relates
to the customs of this life only; but the foundation of the religion of God is
one, and His Holiness Baha'u'llah has renewed that foundation. The
religion of God is the One Religion, and all the Prophets have taught it, but
it is a living and a growing thing, not lifeless and unchanging. In the teaching
of Moses we see the Bud; in that of Christ the Flower; in that of Baha'u'llah
the Fruit. The flower does not destroy the bud, nor does the fruit destroy the
flower. It destroys not, but fulfills. The bud scales must fall in order that
the flower may bloom, and the petals must fall that
the fruit may grow and ripen. Were the bud scales and the petals wrong or useless,
then, that they had to be discarded? Nay, both in their time were right and necessary;
without them there could have been no fruit. So it is with the various prophetic
teachings; their externals change from age to age, but each revelation is the
fulfillment of its predecessors; they are not separate or incongruous, but different
stages in the life history of the One Religion, which has in turn been revealed
as seed, as bud and as flower, and now enters on the stage of fruition.
Infallibility
of the Prophets
Baha'u'llah
teaches that everyone endowed with the Station of Prophethood is given sufficient
proofs of His Mission, is entitled to claim obedience from all men and has authority
to abrogate, alter or add to the teachings of His predecessors. In the Book of
Iqan we read: -- How
far from the grace of the All-Bountiful and from His loving providence and tender
mercies it is to single out a soul from amongst all men for the guidance of His
creatures, and, on one hand, to withhold from Him the full measure of His divine
testimony, and, on the other, inflict severe retribution on His people for having
turned away from His chosen One! Nay, the manifold bounties of the Lord of all
beings have, at all times, through the Manifestations of His divine Essence, encompassed
the earth and all that dwell therein. ... And
yet, is not the object of every Revelation to effect a transformation in the whole
character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself both outwardly
and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions? For
if the character of mankind be not changed, the futility of God's universal Manifestations
would be apparent. -- Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 14, 240. God
is the One infallible Authority, and the Prophets are infallible because Their
Message is the Message of God given
to the world through Them. That Message remains valid until it is superseded by
a later Message given by the same or another Prophet. God
is the great Physician Who alone can rightly diagnose the world's sickness and
prescribe the appropriate remedy. The remedy prescribed in one age is no longer
suitable in a later age, when the condition of the patient is different. To cling
to the old remedy when the physician has ordered new treatment is not to show
faith in the physician, but infidelity. It may be a shock to the Jew to be told
that some of the remedies for the world's sickness which Moses ordered over three
thousand years ago are now out of date and unsuitable; the Christian may be equally
shocked when told that Muhammad had anything necessary or valuable to add to what
Jesus prescribed; and so also the Muslim, when asked to admit that the Bab or
Baha'u'llah had authority to alter the commands of Muhammad; but according to
the Bahá'í view, true devotion to God implies reverence to all His Prophets, and
implicit obedience to His latest Commands, as given by the Prophet for our own
age. Only by such devotion can true Unity be attained.
The
Supreme Manifestation
Like
all the other Prophets, Baha'u'llah states His own Mission in the most unmistakable
terms. In
the Lawh-i-Aqdas, a Tablet addressed especially to Christians, He says: -- Surely
the Father hath come and hath fulfilled that which you were promised in the Kingdom
of God. This is the Word which the Son veiled when He said to those around Him
that at that time they could not bear it. But when the stated time was ended,
and the Hour arrived, the Word shone forth from the Horizon of the Will. Beware,
O Concourse of the Son (i.e. Christians)! Cast it not behind you, but hold thereunto.
It is better for you than all that which is before you! ... Verily, the Spirit
of Truth is come, to guide you into all Truth. Verily, He speaketh not from Himself,
nay, but rather from the All-Knowing and Wise. He is the One Whom the Son hath
glorified. ... Abandon that which is before you, O people of the earth, and take
that which is commanded you by Him Who is the Powerful, the Faithful. And
in a letter to the Pope, written from Adrianople in 1867, He says: -- Beware
lest celebration hinder you from the Celebrated and worship hinder you from the
Worshipped One! Behold the Lord, the Mighty, the All-Knowing! He hath come to
minister to the life of the world, and for the uniting of whatever dwelleth therein.
Come, O ye people, to the Dawning-place of Revelation! Tarry not, even for an
hour! Are ye learned of the Gospel, and yet are unable to see the Lord of Glory?
This
beseemeth you not, O learned concourse! Say then, if ye deny this matter, by what
proof do you believe in God? Produce your proof. ... Just
as in these letters to Christians He announces the fulfillment of the Gospel promises,
so He proclaims also to Muhammadan, Jews, Zoroastrians and the people of other
faiths the fulfillment of the promises of their Holy Books. He addresses all men
as the sheep of God, who have hitherto been divided into different flocks and
sheltered in different folds. His message, He says, is the Voice of God, the Good
Shepherd, Who has come in the fullness of time to gather His scattered sheep into
one flock, removing the barriers between them, that "there may be one fold and
one shepherd."
A New Situation
The position
of Baha'u'llah among the Prophets is unprecedented and unique, because the condition
of the world at the time of His advent was unprecedented and unique. By a long
and checkered process of development in religion, science, art and civilization
the world had become ripe for a teaching
of Unity. The barriers which in previous centuries had made a world unity impossible
were ready to crumble when Baha'u'llah appeared, and since His birth, in 1817,
and more especially since the promulgation of His teachings began, these barriers
have been breaking down in most astonishing fashion. Be the explanation what it
may, about the fact there can be no doubt. In
the days of previous Prophets geographical barriers alone were amply sufficient
to prevent world unity. Now that obstacle has been overcome. For the first time
in human history men on opposite sides of the globe are able to communicate with
each other quickly and easily. Things done in Europe yesterday are known in every
continent of the world today, and a speech made in America today may be read in
Europe, Asia and Africa tomorrow. Another
great obstacle was the language difficulty. Thanks to the study and teaching of
foreign languages, that difficulty has already been to a large extent overcome;
and there is every reason to suppose that ere many years an international auxiliary
language will be adopted and taught in all the schools of the world. Then this
difficulty also will be completely removed. The
third great obstacle was religious prejudice and intolerance. That, too, is disappearing.
Men's minds are becoming more open. The education of the people is passing more
and more out of the hands of sectarian priests; and new and more liberal ideas
can no longer be prevented from penetrating into even the most exclusive and conservative
circles. Baha'u'llah
is thus the first of the great Prophets Whose message has become known within
a period of comparatively few years in every quarter of the globe. Within a short
time the essential teachings of Baha'u'llah, translated from His own authentic
Writings, will be directly accessible to every man, woman and child in the world
who is able to read.
Fullness of the Bahá'í Revelation
The Bahá'í
Revelation is unprecedented and unique among the faiths of the world by reason
of the fullness and completeness of its authentic records. The recorded words
that can with
certainty be attributed to Christ, to Moses, to Zoroaster, to Buddha, to Krishna,
are very few, and leave many modern questions of great practical importance unanswered.
Many of the teachings commonly attributed to these religious Founders are of doubtful
authenticity, and some are evidently accretions of later date. The Muhammadans
possess in the Qur'an, and in a large store of traditions, a much fuller record
of the life and teachings of their Prophet, but Muhammad Himself, though inspired,
was illiterate, as were most of His early followers. The methods employed for
recording and spreading His teachings were in many respects unsatisfactory, and
the authenticity of many of the traditions is very doubtful. As a result, differences
of interpretation and conflicting opinions have cause divisions and dissensions
in Islam, as in all previous religious communities. On
the other hand, both the Bab and Baha'u'llah wrote copiously and with great eloquence
and power. As both were debarred from public speaking and spent most of Their
lives (after the declaration of Their mission) in prison, They devoted a large
proportion of Their time to writing, with the result that in richness of authentic
scriptures the Bahá'í Revelation is unapproached by any of its predecessors. Clear
and full expositions are given of many truths which were but dimly foreshadowed
in previous revelations, and the eternal principles of truth, which all the Prophets
have taught, have been applied to the problems which are facing the world today
-- problems of the utmost complexity and difficulty, many of which had not arisen
in the days of former Prophets. It is evident that this full record of authentic
revelation must have a powerful effect in preventing misunderstandings in the
future and in clearing up those misunderstandings of the past which have kept
the various sects asunder.
The Bahá'í Covenant
The Bahá'í
Revelation is unprecedented and unique in still another way. Before the death
of Baha'u'llah He repeatedly put in writing a Covenant appointing his eldest son
Abdu'l-Baha,
Whom He often refers to as "The Branch," or "The Most Great Branch," as the authorized
interpreter of the teachings, and declaring that any explanations or interpretations
given by Him are to be accepted as of equal validity with the words of Baha'u'llah
Himself. In His Will and Testament He says: -- Consider
that which We revealed in Our Most Holy Book: "When the ocean of My presence hath
ebbed and the Book of My Revelation is ended, turn your faces toward Him Whom
God hath purposed, Who hath branched from this Ancient Root." The object of this
sacred verse is none other except the Most Mighty Branch (Abdu'l-Baha). And
in the Tablet of the Branch, in which He explains the station of Abdu'l-Baha,
He says: -- Render
thanks unto God, O people, for His appearance; for verily He is the most great
Favor unto you, the most perfect bounty upon you; and through Him every mouldering
bone is quickened. Whoso turneth towards Him hath turned towards God, and whoso
turneth away from Him hath turned away from My Beauty, hath repudiated My Proof,
and transgressed against Me. After
the death of Baha'u'llah, Abdu'l-Baha had abundant opportunities, both in His
own home and on His extensive travels, of meeting people from all parts of the
world and of all shades of opinion. He heard all their questions, their difficulties
and objections, and gave full explanations which were carefully recorded in writing.
During a long series of years Abdu'l-Baha continued this work of elucidating the
teachings and showing their applications to the most varied problems of modern
life. Differences of opinion which have arisen among believers have been referred
to Him and authoritatively settled, and thus the risks of future misunderstandings
have been further reduced. Baha'u'llah
further arranged that an International House of Justice, representative of all
Bahá'ís throughout the world, should be elected to take charge of the affairs
of the Cause, control and coordinate all its activities, prevent divisions and
schisms,
elucidate obscure matters, and preserve the teachings from corruption and misrepresentation.
The fact that this supreme administrative body can not only initiate legislation
on all matters not defined in the Teachings, but also annul its own enactments
when new conditions require different measures, enables the Faith to expand and
adapt itself, like a living organism, to the needs and requirements of a changing
society. Moreover,
Baha'u'llah expressly forbade interpretation of the teachings by anyone but the
authorized interpreter. In His Will and Testament Abdu'l-Baha appointed Shoghi
Effendi to be the Guardian of the Faith after Him and to be empowered to interpret
the Writings.
In
a thousand or more years another Manifestation will
appear, under the shadow of Baha'u'llah, with clear
proofs of His mission, but until then the words of Baha'u'llah,
Abdu'l-Baha and the Guardian and the decisions of the
International House of Justice constitute the authorities
to which all believers must turn for guidance. No Bahá'í
may found a school or sect based on any particular interpretation
of the teachings or any supposed divine revelation.
Anyone contravening these injunctions is considered
a "Covenant-breaker."1
Abdu'l-Baha
says: -- One
of the enemies of the Cause is he who endeavors to interpret the words of Baha'u'llah
and thereby colors the meaning according to his capacity, and collects around
him a following, forming a different sect, promoting his own station, and making
a division in the Cause.
In another Tablet He writes: -- These
people (promoters of schism) are like the froth that gathers on the surface of
the sea; a wave will surge from the ocean of the Covenant and through the power
of the Abha Kingdom will cast this foam ashore. ... These corrupt thoughts that
emanate from personal and evil intentions will all vanish, whereas the Covenant
of God shall remain stable and secure. There
is nothing to keep men from forsaking religion if they wish to do so. Abdu'l-Baha
says: "God Himself does not compel the soul to become spiritual. The exercise
of the free human will is necessary." The spiritual Covenant, however, clearly
makes sectarianism within the Bahá'í community quite impossible.
No
Professional Priesthood
One
other feature of the Bahá'í organization must be specially mentioned, and that
is the absence of a professional priesthood. Voluntary contributions toward the
expenses of teachers are permitted and many devote their whole time to work for
the Cause, but all Bahá'ís are expected to share in the work of teaching, et cetera,
according to their opportunity and ability, and there is no special class distinguished
from their fellow believers by the exclusive exercise of priestly functions and
prerogatives. In
former ages priesthoods were necessary, because people were illiterate and uneducated
and were dependent on priests for their religious instruction, for the conduct
of religious rites and ceremonies, for the administration of justice, et cetera.
Now, however, times have changed. Education is fast becoming universal, and if
the commands of Baha'u'llah are carried out, every boy and girl in the world will
receive a sound education. Each individual will then be able to study the Scriptures
for himself, to draw the Water of Life for himself, direct from the Fountainhead.
Elaborate rites and ceremonies, requiring the services of a special profession
or caste, have no place in the Bahá'í system; and the administration of justice
is entrusted to the authorities instituted for that purpose. For
a child a teacher is necessary, but the aim of the true teacher is to fit his
pupil to do without a teacher; to see things with his own eyes, hear with his
own ears, and understand with his
own mind. Just so, in the childhood of the race, the priest is necessary, but
his real work is to enable men to do without him: to see things divine with their
own eyes, hear them with their own ears and understand them with their own minds.
Now the priest's work is all but accomplished, and the aim of the Bahá'í teaching
is to complete that work, to make men independent of all save God, so that they
can turn directy to Him, that is, to His Manifestation. When all turn to one Center,
then there can be no cross-purposes or confusion and the nearer all draw to the
Center, the nearer they will draw to each other.
Footnotes:
Page
130: 1.
See pp. 261-263 and 272-273 for further elucidations of the Guardianship and the
Universal House of Justice. [back]
Chapter 9
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter
Nine: True Civilization
O
people of God! Be not occupied with yourselves. Be intent on the betterment of
the world and the training of nations.
--BAHA'U'LLAH.
Religion
the Basis of Civilization According
to the Bahá'í view, the problems of human life, individual and social, are so
inconceivably complex that the ordinary human intellect is incapable of itself
of solving them aright. Only the Omniscient fully knows the prupose of creation
and how that prupose may be achieved. Through the Prophets He shows to mankind
the true goal of human life and the right path of progress; and the building up
of a true civilization depends upon faithful adherence to the guidance of prophetic
Revelation. Baha'u'llah says: -- Religion
is the greatest instrument for the order of the world and the tranquillity of
all existent beings. The weakening of the pillars of religion has encouraged the
ignorant and rendered them audacious and arrogant. Truly I say, whatever lowers
the lofty station of religion will increase heedlessness in the wicked, and finally
result in anarchy. ... Consider
the civilization of the people of the Occident -- how it has occasioned commotion
and agitation to the people of the world. Infernal instruments have been devised,
and such atrocity is displayed in the destruction of life as has not been seen
by the eye of the world, nor heard by the ear of nations. It is impossible to
reform these violent, overwhelming evils, except the peoples of the world become
united upon a certain issue or under the shadow of One Religion. ... O
people of Baha! Each one of the revealed Commands is a might stronghold for the
protection of the world. -- Words of Paradise.
The present state of Europe and of the world in general eloquently confirms the
truth of these words written so many years ago. Neglect of the prophetic commands
and the prevalence of irreligion have been accompanied by disorder and destruction
on the most terrible scale, and, without the change of heart and aim which is
the essential characteristic of true religion, the reform of society seems an
utter impossibility.
Justice
In the little book of Hidden Words, in which Baha'u'llah gives in brief the essence
of the prophetic teachings, His first counsel refers to the individual life: "Possess
a pure, kindly and radiant heart." The next indicates the fundamental principle
of true social life: -- O
Son of Spirit!
The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice;
turn not away therefrom if thou desirest Me, and neglect it not that I may confide
in thee. By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes
of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge
of thy neighbor. Ponder this in thy heart; how it behooveth thee to be. Verily
justice is My gift to thee and the sign of My loving-kindness. Set it hten before
thine eyes.
The first essential of social life is that individuals should become capable of
discerning the true from the false and right from wrong, and of seeing things
in their true proportions. The greatest cause of spiritual and social blindness,
and the greatest foe of social progress, is selfishness. Baha'u'llah says: --
O
ye sons of intelligence! The thin eye lid prevents the eye from seeing the world
and what is contained therein. Then think of the result when the curtain of greed
covers the sight of the heart! O
people! The darkness of greed and envy obscures the light of the soul as the cloud
prevents the penetration of the sun's rays. (Tablet to some Persian Zoroastrian
Bahá'ís). Long
experience is at last convincing men of the truth of the prophetic teaching that
selfish views and selfish actions inevitably bring social disaster, and that if
humanity is not to perish ingloriously, each must look on the things of his neighbor
as of equal importance with his own, and subordinate his own interests to those
of humanity as a whole. In this way the interests of each and all will ultimately
be best served. Baha'u'llah says: -- "O son of man! If thine eyes be turned towards
mercy, forsake the things that proft thee, and cleave unto that which will profit
mankind. And if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbor
that which thou choosest for thyself." -- Words of Paradise.
Government
The teachings
of Baha'u'llah contain two different types of reference to the question of true
social order. One type is exemplified in the tablets revealed to the Kings, which
deal with the problem of government as existing in the world during Baha'u'llah's
life on earth; the other references are to the new order to be developed within
the Bahá'í community itself. Hence
arises the sharp contrast between such passages as: "The one true God, exalted
be His glory, hath ever regarded, and will continue to regard, the hearts of men
as His own, His exclusive possession. All else, whether pertaining to land or
sea, whether riches or glory, He hath bequeathed unto the Kings and rulers of
the earth"' and "It beseemeth all men, in this Day, to take firm hold on the Most
Great Name, and to establish the unity of all mankind. There is no place to flee
to, no refuge that any one can seek, except Him." -- Gleanings from the Writings
of Baha'u'llah, pp. 206, 203. The
apparent incompatibility of these two views is removed when we observe the distinction
which Baha'u'llah makes between the "Lesser Peace" and the "Most Great Peace."
In His
tablets to the Kings Baha'u'llah called upon them to assemble and take measures
for the maintenance of political peace, the reduction of armaments and the removal
of the burdens and insecurity of the poor. But His words make it perfectly clear
that their failure to respond to the needs of the time would result in wars and
revolutions leading to the overthrow of the old order. Therefore, on the one hand
He said: "What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that are in
authority," and on the other, "Those men who, having amassed the vanities and
ornaments of the earth, have turned away disdainfully from God -- these have lost
both this world and the world to come. Ere long, will God, with the Hand of Power,
strip them of their possessions, and divest them of the robe of His bounty." "We
have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn
towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous
afflictions to assail you from every direction." "The signs of impending convulsions
and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to
be lamentably defective." "We have pledged Ourselves to secure Thy triumph upon
earth and to exalt Our Cause above all men, though no king be found who would
turn his face towards Thee." Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp. 207,
209, 214, 216, 248-249. The
Great Being, wishing to reveal the prerequisites of the peace and tranquillity
of the world and the advancement of its peoples, hath written: The time must come
when the imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage
of men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs
attend it, and participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and
means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men. Such
a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity
of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves. Should any
kind take up arms against another, all should unitedly arise and prevent him.
-- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 249.
By such counsel, Baha'u'llah revealed the conditions under which public responsibility
must be discharged in this Day of God. Appealing for international solidarity
on the one hand, He no less clearly warned the rulers that continuance of strife
would destroy their power. Now modern history confirms this warning, in the rise
of those coercive movements which in all civilized nations have attained such
destructive energy, and in the development of warfare to the degree that victory
is no longer attainable by any party. "Now that ye have refused the Most Great
Peace, hold ye fast unto this, the Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree
better your own condition and that of your dependents." "That which the Lord hath
ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all
the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.
This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful
and inspired Physician." -- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp. 254,
255. By
the Lesser Peace is meant a political unity of states, while the Most Great Peace
is a unity embracing spiritual as well as political and economic factors. "Soon
will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead."
-- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 7. In
former ages, a government could concern itself with external matters and material
affairs, but today the function of government demands a quality of leadership,
of consecration and of spiritual knowledge impossible save to those who have turned
to God.
Political Freedom
Although advocating as the ideal condition a representative form of government,
local, national and international, Baha'u'llah teaches that this is possible only
when men have attained a sufficiently high degree of individual and social development.
Suddenly to grant full self-government to people without education, who are dominated
by selfish desires and are inexperienced in the conduct of public affairs, would
be disastrous. There is nothing more dangerous than freedom for
those who are not fit to use it wisely. Baha'u'llah writes in the Book of Aqdas:
-- Consider
the pettiness of men's minds. They ask for that which injureth them, and cast
away the thing that profiteth them. They are, indeed, of those that are far astray.
We find some men desiring liberty, and priding themselves therein. Such men are
in the depths of ignorance. Liberty
must, in the end, lead to sedition, whose flames none can quench. Thus warneth
you He Who is the Reckoner, the All-Knowing. Know ye that the embodiment of liberty
and its symbol is the animal. That which beseemeth man is submission unto such
restraints as will protect him from his own ignorance, and guard him against the
harm of the mischief-maker. Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety,
and to infrings on the dignity of his station. It debaseth him to the level of
extreme depravity and wickedness. Regard
men as a flock of sheep that need a shepherd for their protection. This, verily,
is the truth, the certain truth. We approve of liberty in certain circumstances,
and refuse to sanction it in others. We, verily, are the All-Knowing. Say:
True liberty consisteth in man's submission unto My commandments, little as ye
know it. Were men to observe that which We have sent down unto them from the Heaven
of Revelation, they would, of a certainty, attain unto perfect liberty. Happy
is the man that hath apprehended the Purpose of God in whatever He hath revealed
from the Heaven of His Will, that pervadeth all created things. Say: The liberty
that profiteth you is to be found nowhere except in complete servitude unto God,
the Eternal Truth. Whoso hath tasted of its sweetness will refuse to barter it
for all the dominion of earth and heaven. -- Kitab-i-Aqdas.
For improving the condition of backward races and nations, the Divine teachings
are the sovereign remedy. When both
people and statesmen learn and adopt these teachings the nations will be freed
from all their bonds.
Rulers
and Subjects
Baha'u'llah forbids tyranny and oppression in the most emphatic terms. In Hidden
Words He writes: -- O
Oppressors of Earth! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself
not to forgive any man's injustice. This is My covenant which I have irrevocably
decreed in the preserved tablet and sealed it with My seal of glory.
Those
entrusted with the framing and administration of laws and regulations must "hold
fast to the rope of Consultation, and decide upon and execute that which is conducive
to the people's security, affluence, welfare and tranquillity; for if matters
be arranged otherwise, it will lead to discord and tumult." -- Tablet of the World.
On the other
hand, the people must be law-abiding and loyal to the just government. They must
rely on educational methods and on the force of good example, not on violence,
for bringing about a better state of affairs in the nation. Baha'u'llah says:
-- In
every country where any of this community reside, they must behave toward the
government of that country with faithfulness, truthfulness, and obedience. --
Glad Tidings. O
people of God! Adorn your temples with the mantle of trustworthiness and integrity;
then assist your Lord with the hosts of good deeds and good morals. Verily We
have forbidden you sedition and strife, in My Books and Epistles, in My Writings
and Tablets; and by this We have desired only your loftiness and exaltation. --
Tablet of Ishraqat.
Appointment
and Promotion
In
making appointments, the only criterion must be fitness for the position. Before
this paramount consideration, all
others, such as seniority, social or financial status, family connection or personal
friendship, must give way. Baha'u'llah says in the Tablet of Ishraqat: -- The
fifth Ishraq (Effulgence) is the knowledge by governments of the condition of
the governed, and the conferring of ranks according to desert and merit. Regard
to this matter is strictly enjoined upon every chief and ruler, that haply traitors
may not usurp the positions of trustworthy men nor spoilers occupy the seats of
guardians.
It
needs but little consideration to show that when this principle becomes generally
accepted and acted upon, the transformation in our social life will be astounding.
When each individual is given the position for which his talents and capabilities
specially fit him he will be able to put his heart into his work and become an
artist in his profession, with incalculable benefit to himself and the rest of
the world.
Economic Problems
The
Bahá'í teachings insist in the strongest terms on the need for reform in the economic
relations of rich and poor. Abdu'l-Baha says: -- The
arrangements of the circumstances of the people must be such that poverty shall
disappear, that everyone, as far as possible, according to his rank and position,
shall share in comfort and well-being. We see among us men who are overburdened
with riches on the one hand, and on the other those unfortunate ones who starve
with nothing; those who possess several stately palaces, and those who have not
where to lay their head. ... This condition of affairs is wrong, and must be remedied.
Now the remedy must be carefully undertaken. It cannot be done by bringing to
pass absolute equality between men. Equality is a chimera! It is entirely impracticable.
Even if equality could be achieved it could not continue; and if its existence
were possible, the whole order of the world would be destroyed. The Law of Order
must always obtain in the world of humanity. Heaven has so decreed in the creation
of man. ... Humanity, like a great army, requires a general, captains, underofficers
in their degree, and soldiers, each with their appointed duties. Degrees are absolutely
necessary to ensure an orderly organization. An army could not be composed of
generals alone, or of captains only, or of nothing but soldiers without anyone
in authority. Certainly,
some being enormously rich and other lamentably poor, an organization is necessary
to control and improve this state of affairs. It is important to limit riches,
as it is also of importance to limit poverty. Either extreme is not good. ...
When we see poverty allowed to reach a condition of starvation, it is a sure sign
that somewhere we shall find tyranny. Men must bestir themselves in this matter,
and no longer delay in altering conditions which bring the misery of grinding
poverty to a very large number of people. The
rich must give of their abundance; they must soften their hearts and cultivate
a compassionate intelligence, taking thought for those sad ones who are suffering
from lack of the very necessaries of life. There
must be special laws made, dealing with these extremes of rich and want. ... The
government of the countries should conform to the Divine Law which gives equal
justice to all. ... Not until this is done will the Law of God be obeyed.
Public
Finance
Abdu'l-Baha
suggests that each town and village or district should be entrusted as far as
possible with the administration of fiscal matters within its own area and should
contribute its due proportion for the expenses of the general government. One
of the principal sources of revenue should be a graduated income tax. If a man's
income does not exceed his necessary
expenditure he should not be required to pay any tax, but in all cases where income
exceeds the necessary expenditure a tax should be levied, the percentage of tax
increasing as the surplus of income over necessary expenditure increases. On
the other hand, if a person, through illness, poor crops, or other cause for which
he is not responsible, is unable to earn an income sufficient to meet his necessary
expenses for the year, then what he lacks for the maintenance of himself and his
family should be supplied out of public funds.
There
will also be other sources of public revenue, e.g. from
intestate estates, mines, treasure trove and voluntary
contributions; while among the expenditures will be
grants for the support of the infirm, of orphans, of
schools, of the deaf and blind, and for the maintenance
of public health. Thus the welfare and comfort of all
will be provided for.1
Voluntary
Sharing
In a letter
to the Central Organization for a Durable Peace, written in 1919, Abdu'l-Baha
says: -- Among
the teachings of Baha'u'llah is voluntary sharing of one's property with others
among mankind. This voluntary sharing is greater than (legally imposed) equality,
and consists in this, that one should not prefer oneself to others, but rather
should sacrifice one's life and property for others. But this should not be introduced
by coercion so that it becomes a law which man is compelled to follow. Nay, rather,
man should voluntarily and of his own choice sacrifice his property and life for
others, and spend willingly for the poor, just as is done in Persia among the
Bahá'ís.
Work for All
One of the
most important instructions of Baha'u'llah in regard to the economic question
is that all must engage in
useful work. There must be no drones in the social hive, no able-bodied parasites
on society. He says: -- It
is enjoined on every one of you to engage in some occupation -- some art, trade
or the like. We have made this -- your occupation -- identical with the worship
of God, the True One. Reflect, O people, upon the Mercy of God and upon His Favors,
then thank Him in the mornings and evenings. Waste
not your time in idleness and indolence, and occupy yourselves with that which
will profit yourselves and others beside yourselves, Thus hath the matter been
decreed in this Tablet, from the Horizon of which the Sun of Wisdom and Divine
Utterance is gleaming! The most despised of men before is he who sits and begs.
Cling unto the rope of means, relying upon God, the Causer of Causes. -- Glad
Tidings.
How
much of the energy employed in the business world of today is expended simply
in canceling and neutralizing the efforts of other people -- in useless strife
and competition! And how much in ways that are still more injurious! Were all
to work, and were all work, whether of brain or hand, of a nature profitable to
mankind, as Baha'u'llah commands, then the supplies of everything necessary for
a healthy, comfortable and noble life would amply suffice for all. There need
be no slums, no starvation, no destitution, no industrial slavery, no health-destroying
drudgery.
The Ethics of Wealth
According to the
Bahá'í teachings, riches rightly acquired and rightly used are honorable and praiseworthy.
Services rendered should be adequately rewarded. Baha'u'llah says in the Tablet
of Tarazat: -- "The people of Baha must not refuse to discharge the due reward
of anyone, and must respect possessors of talent, ... One must speak with justice
and recognize the worth of benefits." With
regard to interest on money, Baha'u'llah writes in the Tablet of Ishraqat as follows:
-- Most
of the people are found to be in need of this mattter; for if no interest be allowed,
affairs (business) will be trammeled and obstructed. ... A person is rarely found
who would lend money to anyone upon the principle of "Qar-i-hasan" (literally
"good loan," i.e. money advanced without interest and repaid at the pleasure of
the borrower). Consequently, out of favor to the servants, We have appointed "profit
on money" to be current, among other business transactions which are in force
among people. That is ... it is allowable, lawful and pure to charge interest
on money ... but this matter must be conducted with moderation and justice. The
Pen of Glory has withheld itself from laying down its limits, as a Wisdom from
His Presence and as a convenience for His servants. We exhort the friends of God
to act with fairness and justice, and in such a way that the mercy of His beloved
ones, and their compassion, may be manifested toward each other. ... The
execution of these matters has been placed in charge of the men of the House of
Justice, in order that they may act in accordance with the exigencies of the time
and with wisdom.
No Industrial
Slavery
In the Book
of Aqdas Baha'u'llah forbids slavery, and Abdu'l-Baha has explained that not only
chattel slavery, but also industrial slavery, is contrary to the law of God. When
in the United States in 1912, He said to the American people: -- Between
1860 and 1865 you did a wonderful thing; you abolished chattel slavery; but today
you must do a much more wonderful thing: you must abolish industrial slavery.
... The
solution of economic questions will not be brought about by array of capital against
labor, and labor against capital, in strife and conflict, but by the voluntary
attitude of goodwill on both sides. Then a real and lasting justness of conditions
will be secured. ... Among
the Bahá'ís there are no extortionate, mercenary and unjust practices, no rebellious
demands, no revolutionary uprisings against existing governments. ... It
will not be possible in the future for men to amass great fortunes by the labors
of others. The rich will willingly divide. They will come to this gradually, naturally,
by their own volition. It will never be accomplished by war and bloodshed.
It
is by friendly consultation and cooperation, by just copartnership and profit-sharing,
that the interests of both capital and labor will be best served. The harsh weapons
of the strike and lockout are injurious, not only to the trades immediately affected,
but to the community as a whole. It is, therefore, the business of the governments
to devise means for preventing recourse to such barbarous methods of settling
disputes. Abdu'l-Baha said at Dublin, New Hampshire, in 1912: -- Now
I want to tell you about the law of God. According to the divine law, employees
should not be paid merely by wages. Nay, rather they should be partners in every
work. The question of socialization is very difficult. It will not be solved by
strikes for wages. All the governments of the world must be united, and organize
an assembly, the members of which shall be elected from the parliaments and the
noble ones of the nations. These must plan with wisdom and power, so that neither
the capitalists suffer enormous losses, nor the laborers become needy. In the
utmost moderation they should make the law, then announce to the public that the
rights of the working people are to be effectively preserved; also the rights
of the capitalists are to be protected. When such a general law is adopted, by
the will of both sides, should a strike occur, all the governments of the world
should collectively resist it. Otherwise the work will lead to much destruction,
especially in Europe. Terrible things will take place. One
of the several causes of a universal European war will be this question. The owners
of properties, mines and factories, should share their incomes with their employees,
and give a fairly certain percentage of their profits to their workingmen, in
order that the employees should receive, besides their wages, some of the general
income of the factory, so that the employee may strive with his soul in the work.
Bequest and
Inheritance
Baha'u'llah
states that a person should be free to dispose of his possessions during his lifetime
in any way he chooses, and it is incumbent on everyone to write a will stating
how his property is to be disposed of after his death. When a person dies without
leaving a will, the value of the property should be estimated and divided in certain
state proportions among seven classes of inheritors, namely, children, wife or
husband, father, mother, brothers, sisters and teachers, the share of each diminishing
from the first to the last. In the absence of one or more of these classes, the
share which would belong to them goes to the public treasury, to be expended on
the poor, the fatherless and the widows, or on useful public works. If the deceased
has no heirs, then all his property goes to the public treasury. There
is nothing in the law of Baha'u'llah to prevent a man from leaving all his property
to one individual if he pleases, but Bahá'ís will naturally be influenced, in
making their wills, by the model Baha'u'llah has laid down for the case of intestate
estates, which ensures distribution of property among a considerable number of
heirs.
Equality of Men and Women
One of the social
principles to which Baha'u'llah attaches great importance is that women should
be regarded as the equals of men and should enjoy equal rights and privileges,
equal education
and equal opportunities. The
great means on which He relies for bringing about the emancipation of women is
universal education. Girls are to receive as good an education as boys. In fact,
the education of girls is even more important than that of boys, for in time these
girls will become mothers, and, as mothers, they will be the first teachers of
the next generation. Children are like green and tender branches; if the early
training is right they grow straight, and if it is wrong they grow crooked; and
to the end of their lives they are affected by the training of their earliest
years. How important, then, that girls should be well and wisely educated! During
His Western tours, Abdu'l-Baha had frequent occasion to explain the Bahá'í teachings
on this subject. At a meeting of the Women's Freedom League in London in January
1913, He said: Humanity
is like a bird with its two wings -- the one is male, the other female. Unless
both wings are strong and impelled by some common force, the bird cannot fly heavenwards.
According to the spirit of this age, women must advance and fulfill their mission
in all departments of life, becoming equal to men. They must be on the same level
as men and enjoy equal rights. This is my earnest prayer and it is one of the
fundamental principles of Baha'u'llah. Some
scientists have declared that the brains of men weigh more than those of women,
and claim this as a proof of man's superiority. Yet when we look around us we
see people with small heads, whose brains much weigh little, who show the greatest
intelligence and great powers of understanding; and others with big heads, whose
brains must be heavy, and yet they are witless. Therefore the avoirdupois of the
brain is no true measure of intelligence or superiority. When
men bring forward as a second proof of their superiority the assertion that women
have not achieved as much as men, they use poor arguments which leave history
out of consideration. If they kept themselves more fully informed historically,
they would know that great women have lived and achieved great things in the past,
and that there are many living and achieving great things today. Here
Abdu'l-Baha described the achievements of Zenobia and other great women of the
past, concluding with an eloquent tribute to the fearless Mary Magdalene, whose
faith remained firm while that of the apostles was shaken. He
continued: -- Amongst
the women of our own time is Qurratu'l-'Ayn, the daughter of a Muhammadan priest.
At the time of the appearance of the Bab she showed such tremendous courage and
power that all who heard her were astonished. She threw aside her veil despite
the immemorial custom of the women of Persia, and although it was considered impolite
to speak with men, this heroic woman carried on controversies with the most learned
men, and in every meeting she vanquished them. The Persian Government took her
prisoner; she was stoned in the streets, anathematized, exiled from town to town,
threatened with death, but she never failed in her determination to work for the
freedom of her sisters. She bore persecution and suffering with the greatest heroism;
even in prison she gained converts. To a Minister in Persia, in whose house she
was imprisoned, she said: "You can kill me as soon as you like but you cannot
stop the emancipation of women." At last the end of her tragic life came; she
was carried into a garden and strangled. She put on, however, her choicest robes
as if she were going to join a bridal party. With such magnanimity and courage
she gave her life, startling and thrilling all who saw her. She was truly a great
heroine. Today in Persia, among the Bahá'ís, there are women who also show unflinching
courage, and who are endowed with great poetic insight. They are most eloquent,
and speak before large gatherings of people. Women
must go on advancing; they must extend their knowledge of science, literature,
history, for the perfection of humanity. Erelong they will receive their rights.
Men will see women in earnest, bearing themselves with dignity, improving the
civil and political life, opposed to warfare, demanding suffrage and equal opportunities.
I expect to see you advance in all phases of life; then will your brows be crowned
with the diadem of eternal glory.
Women and
the New Age
When
woman's point of view receives due consideration and woman's will is allowed adequate
expression in the arrangement of social affairs, we may expect great advancement
in matters which have often been grievously neglected under the old regime of
male dominance -- such matters as health, temperance, peace, and regard for the
value of the individual life. Improvements in these respects will have very far-reaching
and beneficent effects. Abdu'l-Baha says: -- The
world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by
reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But
the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness,
intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is
strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine
and more permeated with the feminine ideals, or, to speak more exactly, will be
an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more
evenly balanced. -- Star of the West, viii, No. 3, p. 4 [from report of remarks
made aboard the S.S. Cedric on arrival in New York].
Methods of
Violence Discarded
In
bringing about the emancipation of women as in other matters, Baha'u'llah counsels
His followers to avoid methods of violence. An excellent illustration of the Bahá'í
method of social reform has been given by the Bahá'í in Persia, Egypt and Syria.
In these countries it is customary for Muhammadan women outside their homes to
wear a veil covering the face. The Bab indicated that in the New Dispensation
women would be relieved from this irksome restraint, but Baha'u'llah counsels
His followers, where no important question of morality is involved, to defer to
established customs until people become enlightened, rather than scandalize those
amongst whom they live, and arouse needless antagonism. The Bahá'í women, therefore,
although well aware that the antiquated custom of wearing the veil is, for enlightened
people, unnecessary and inconvenient, yet quietly put up with the inconvenience,
rather than rouse a storm of fanatical hatred and rancorous opposition by uncovering
their faces in public. This conformity to custom is in no way due to fear, but
to an assured confidence in the power of education and in the transforming and
life-giving effect of true religion. Bahá'ís in these regions are devoting their
energies to the education of their children, especially their girls, and to the
diffusion and promotion of the Bahá'í ideals, well knowing that as the new spiritual
life grows and spreads among the people, antiquated customs and prejudices will
by and by be shed, as naturally and inevitably as bud scales are shed in spring
when the leaves and flowers expand in the sunshine.
Education
Education
-- the instruction and guidance of men and the development and training of their
innate faculties -- has been the supreme aim of all the Holy Prophets since the
world began, and in the Bahá'í teachings the fundamental importance and limitless
possibilities of education are proclaimed in the clearest terms. The teacher is
the most potent factor in civilization and his work is the highest to which men
can aspire. Education begins in the mother's womb and is as unending as the life
of the individual. It is a perennial necessity of right living and the foundation
of both individual and social welfare. When education on right lines becomes general,
humanity will be transformed and world will become a paradise. At
present a really well educated man is the rarest of phenomena, for nearly everyone
has false prejudices, wrong ideals, erroneous conceptions and bad habits drilled
into him from babyhood. How few are taught from their earliest childhood to love
God with all their hearts and dedicate their lives to Him; to regard service to
humanity as the highest aim in life; to develop their powers to the best advantage
for the general good of all! Yet surely these are the essential elements of a
good education. Mere cramming of the memory with facts about arithmetic, grammar,
geography, languages, etc., has comparatively little effect in producing noble
and useful lives. Baha'u'llah
says that education must be universal: -- It
is decreed that every father must educate his sons and daughters in learning and
in writing and also in that which hath been ordained in the tablet. He who neglects
that which hath been commanded (in this matter), if he be rich, it is incumbent
on the trustees of the House of Justice to recover from him the amount required
for the education of his children; otherwise (i.e. if the parent be not capable)
the matter shall devolve upon the House of Justice. Verily We have made it (the
House of Justice) an asylum for the poor and needy. He
who educates his son, or any other children, it is as though he hath educated
one of My children. -- Tablet of Ishraqat. Men
and women must place a part of what they earn by trade, agriculture or other business,
in charge of a trustworthy person, to be spent in the education and instruction
of the children. That deposit must be invested in the education of the children,
under the advice of the trustees (or members) of the House of Justice. -- Tablet
of the World.
Innate Differences
of Nature
In the
Bahá'í view the child's nature is not like so much wax that can be molded indifferently
to any shape according to the will of the teacher. Nay, each from the first has
his own God-given character and individuality which can develop to the best advantage
only in a particular way; and that way in each case is unique. No two people have
exactly the same capabilities and talents, and the true educator will never attempt
to force two natures into the same mold. In fact, he will never attempt to force
any nature into any mold. Rather he will reverently tend the developing powers
of the young nature, encourage and protect them, and supply the nourishment and
assistance which they need. His work is like that of a gardener tending different
plants. One plant likes the bright sunshine, another the cool shade; one loves
the water's edge and another the dry knoll; one thrives best on sandy soil and
another on rich loam. Each must have its needs appropriately supplied, else its
perfections can never be fully revealed. Abdu'l-Baha says: -- The
Prophets acknowledge that education hath a great effect upon the human race, but
They declare that minds and comprehensions are originally different. We see that
certain children of the same age, nativity and race, nay, from the same household,
under the tutorship of the same teacher, differ in minds and comprehensions. No
matter how the shell is educated (or polished) it can never become the radiant
pearl. The black stone will not become the world-illuminating gem. The thorny
cactus can never by training and development become the blessed tree. That is
to say, training doth not change the essential nature of the human gem, but it
produceth a marvelous effect. By this effective power all that is latent, of virtues
and capacities in the human reality, will be revealed.
Character
Training
The thing
of paramount importance in education is character training. With regard to this,
example is more effective than precept, and the lives and characters of the child's
parents, teachers and habitual associates are factors of the utmost importance.
The Prophets
of God are the great educators of mankind, and Their counsels and the story of
Their lives should be instilled into the child's mind as soon as it is able to
grasp them. Especially important are the words of the Supreme Teacher, Baha'u'llah,
Who reveals the root principles on which the civilization of the future must be
built up. He says: -- Teach
your children what hath been revealed through the Pen of Glory. Instruct them
in what hath descended from the heaven of greatness and power. Let them memorize
the Tablets of the Merciful and chant them with the most melodious voices in the
halls of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar.
Arts, Sciences,
and Crafts
Training
in arts, sciences, crafts and useful professions is regarded as important and
necessary. Baha'u'llah says: -- Knowledge
is like unto wings for the being (of man) and is like a ladder for ascending.
To acquire knowledge is incumbent upon all, but of those sciences which may profit
the people of the earth, and not such sciences as being in mere words and end
in mere words. The possessors of sciences and arts have a great right among the
people of the world. Indeed, the real treasury of man is his knowledge. Knowledge
is the means of honor, prosperity, joy, gladness, happiness and exaltation. --
Tablet of Tajalliyat.
Treatment
of Criminals
In a
talk on the right method of treating criminals, Abdu'l-Baha spoke as follows:
-- ...
the most essential thing is that the people must be educated in such a way ...
that they will avoid and shrink from perpetrating crimes, so that the crime itself
will appear to them as the greatest chastisement, the utmost condemnation and
torment. Therefore no crimes which require punishment will be committed.......
if someone oppresses, injures, and wrongs another, and the wronged man retaliates,
this is vengeance, and is censurable. ... If `Amru dishonours Zaid, the latter
has not the right to dishonour `Amru; if he does so, this is vengeance, and is
very reprehensible. No, rather he must return good for evil, and not only forgive,
but also, if possible, be of service to his oppressor. This conduct is worthy
of man; for what advantage does he gain by vengeance? The two actions are equivalent;
if one action is reprehensible, both are reprehensible. The only difference is
that one was committed first, the other later. But
the community has the right of defense and of self-protection; moreover, the community
has no hatred nor animosity for the murderer: it imprisons or punishes him merely
for the protection and security of others. ... Thus
when Christ said: "Whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek, turn to him
the left one also," it was for the purpose of teaching men not to take personal
revenge. He did not mean that if a wolf should fall upon a flock of sheep and
wish to destroy it, that the wolf should be encouraged to do so. No, if Christ
had known that a wolf had entered the fold and was about to destroy the sheep,
most certainly he would have prevented it....... the constitution of the communities
depends upon justice. ... Then what Christ meant by forgiveness and pardon is
not that, when nations attack you, burn your homes, plunder your goods, assault
your wives, children, and relatives, and violate your honour, you should be submissive
in the presence of these tyrannical foes, and allow them to perform all their
cruelties and oppressions. No, the words of Christ refer to the conduct of two
individuals towards each other: if one person assaults another, the injured one
should forgive him. But the communities must protect the rights of man. ... One
thing remains to be said: it is that the communities are day and night occupied
in making penal laws, and in preparing and organizing instruments and means of
punishment. They build prisons, make chains and fetters, arrange places of exile
and banishment, and different kinds of hardships and tortures, and think by these
means to discipline criminals; whereas, in reality, they are causing destruction
of morals and perversion of characters. The community, on the contrary, ought
day and night to strive and endeavour with the utmost zeal and effort to accomplish
the education of men, to cause them day by day to progress and to increase in
science and knowledge, to acquire virtues, to gain good morals and to avoid vices,
so that crimes may not occur. -- Some Answered Questions, pp. 307-311.
Influence
of the Press
The importance
of the press as a means of diffusing knowledge and educating the people, and its
power as a civilizing force, when rightly directed, are fully recognized by Baha'u'llah.
He writes: In
this day the mysteries of this earth are unfolded and visible before the eyes,
and the pages of swiftly appearing newspapers are indeed the mirror of the world;
they display the doings and actions of the different nations; they both illustrate
them and cause them to be heard. Newspapers are as a mirror endowed with hearing,
sight and speech; they are a wonderful phenomenon and a great matter. But
it behooves the writers and editors thereof to be sanctified from the prejudice
of egotism and desire, and to be adorned with the ornament of equity and justice.
They must inquire into matters as fully as possible in order that they may be
informed of the real facts, and commit the same to writing. Concerning this wronged
one, what the newspapers have published has for the most part been devoid of truth.
Good speech and truthfulness are, in loftiness of position and rank, like the
sun which has risen from the horizon of the heaven of knowledge. -- Tablet of
Tarazat.
Footnotes:
Page
142: 1.
For further particulars see Abdu'l-Baha's published addresses, especially those
given in the United States of America. [back]
Chapter 10
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter Ten: The Way
to Peace Today,
this Servant has assuredly come to vivify the world and to bring into unity all
who are on the face of the earth. That which God willeth shall come to pass and
thou shalt see the earth even as the Abha (Most Glorious) Paradise. -- BAHA'U'LLAH,
Tablet to the Ra'is.
Conflict
versus Concord
During
the past century scientists have devoted and immense amount of study to the struggle
for existence in the plant and animal world, and, amid the perplexities of social
life, many have turned for guidance to the principles which have been found to
hold good in the lower world of nature. In this way they have come to regard rivalry
and conflict as necessities of life, and the ruthless killing out of the weaker
members of society as a legitimate or even necessary means of improving the race.
Baha'u'llah tells us, on the other hand, that, if we wish to ascend the scale
of progress, instead of looking backward to the animal world, we must direct our
gaze forward and upward, and must take not the beasts, but the Prophets as our
guides. The principles of unity, concord and compassion taught by the Prophets
are the very antithesis of those dominating the animal struggle for self-preservation,
and we must choose between them, for they cannot be reconciled. Abdu'l-Baha says:
-- In
the world of nature the dominant note is the struggle for existence -- the result
of which is the survival of the fittest. The law of the survival of the fittest
is the origin of all difficulties. It is the cause of war and strife, hatred and
animosity, between human beings. In the world of nature there is tyranny, egoism,
aggression, overbearance, usurpation of the rights of others and other blameworthy
attributes which are defects of the animal world. Therefore, so long as the requirements
of the natural world play paramount part among the children of men, success and
prosperity are impossible. Nature is warlike, nature is bloodthirsty, nature is
tyrannical, for nature is unaware of God the Almighty. That is why these cruel
qualities are natural to the animal world. Therefore
the Lord of mankind, having great love and mercy, has caused the appearance of
the prophets and the revelation of the Holy Books, so that through divine education
humanity may be released from the corruption of nature and the darkness of ignorance,
be confirmed with ideal virtues and spiritual attributes, and become the dawning-place
of merciful emotions. ... A
hundred thousand times, alas! that ignorant prejudice, unnatural differences and
antagonistic principles are yet displayed by the nations of the world toward one
another, thus causing the retardation of general progress. This retrogression
comes from the fact that the principles of divine civilization are completely
abandoned, and the teachings of the prophets are forgotten.
The
Most Great Peace
In
all ages the Prophets of God have foretold the coming of an era of "peace on earth,
goodwill among men." As we have already seen Baha'u'llah, in the most glowing
and confident terms, confirms these prophecies and declares that their fulfillment
is at hand. Abdu'l-Baha says: -- ...
in this marvellous cycle, the earth will be transformed, and the world of humanity
arrayed in tranquility and beauty. Disputes, quarrels, and murders will be replaced
by peace, truth, and concord; among the nations, peoples, races, and countries,
love and amity will appear. Co-operation and union will be established, and finally
war will be entirely suppressed. ... Universal peace will raise its tent in the
centre of the earth, and the Blessed Tree of Life will grow and spread to such
an extent that it will overshadow the East and the West. Strong and weak, rich
and poor, antagonistic sects and hostile nations -- which are like the wolf and
the lamb, the leopard and kid, the lion and calf -- will act towards each other
with the most complete love, friendship, justice, and equity. The world will be
filled with science, with the knowledge of the reality of the mysteries of beings,
and with the knowledge of God. -- Some Answered Questions, pp. 74-75.
Religious
Prejudices
In
order to see clearly how the Most Great Peace may be established, let us first
examine the principle causes that have led to war in the past and see how Baha'u'llah
proposes to deal with each. One
of the most fertile causes of war has been religious prejudice. With regard to
this the Bahá'í teachings show clearly that animosity and conflict between people
of different religions and sects have always been due, not to true religion, but
to the want of it, and to its replacement by false prejudices, imitations and
misrepresentations. In
one of His talks in Paris, Abdu'l-Baha said: Religion
should unite all hearts and cause wars and disputes to vanish from the face of
the earth; it should give birth to spirituality, and bring light and life to every
soul. If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division it would be
better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly
religious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to cure, but if
the remedy only aggravates the complaint, it had better be left alone. Any religion
which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.
Again He says: --
From
the beginning of human history down to the present time various religions of the
world have anathematized one another and accused one another of falsity. ...
They have shunned one another most rigidly, exercising mutual animosity and rancor.
Consider the history of religious warfare. ... One of the greatest religious wars,
the Crusaders, extended over a period of 200 years. ... Sometimes the Crusaders
were successful, killing, pillaging and taking captive Muhammadan people; sometimes
the Mussulmans were victorious, inflicting bloodshed and ruin in turn upon the
invaders. So
they continued for two centuries, alternately fighting with fury and relaxing
with weakness until the European religionists withdrew from the East, leaving
ashes of desolation behind them and finding their own nations in a condition of
turbulence and upheaval. ... Yet this was only one of the "Holy wars." Religious
wars have been many. Nine hundred thousand martyrs of the Protestant cause was
the record of conflict and difference between that sect of Christians and the
Catholics. ... How many languished in prisons! How merciless the treatment of
captives! All in the name of religion! The
Christians and Muhammadans considered the Jews as satanic and the enemies of God.
Therefore they cursed and persecuted them. Great numbers of Jews were killed,
their houses burnt and pillaged, their children carried into captivity. The Jews
in turn regarded the Christians as infidels, and the Muhammadans as enemies and
destroyers of the laws of Moses; therefore they called down vengeance upon them
and curse them even to this day. When
the light of Baha'u'llah dawned from the East, He proclaimed the promise of the
oneness of humanity. He addressed all mankind saying: "Ye are all fruits of one
tree. There are not two trees, one a tree of divine mercy, the other a tree of
Satan." ... Therefore we must exercise the utmost love toward one another. We
must not consider any people the people of Satan, but know
and recognize all as servants of one God. At most it is this: some do not know,
they must be guided and trained. ... Some are ignorant, they must be informed.
Some are as children, they must be helped to reach maturity. Some are ailing,
their moral condition is bad, they must be treated until their morals are purified.
But the sick man is not to be hated because he is sick; the child must not be
shunned because he is a child, the ignorant one is not to be despised because
he lacks knowledge. They must be treated, educated, trained and assisted in love.
Everything must be done in order that all humanity may live under the shadow of
God in the utmost security, in happiness of the highest type. Racial
and Patriotic Prejudices
The
Bahá'í doctrine of the unity of mankind strikes at the root of another cause of
war, namely, racial prejudice. Certain races have assumed themselves to be superior
to others and have taken for granted, on the principle of "survival of the fittest,"
that this superiority gives them the right to exploit for their own advantage,
or even to exterminate, weaker races. Many of the blackest pages in the world's
history are examples of the pitiless application of this principle. According
to the Bahá'í view people of every race are of equal value in the sight of God.
All have wonderful innate capacities which only require suitable education for
their development, and each can play a part, which, instead of impoverishing,
will enrich and complete the life of all the other members of the body of humanity.
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- Concerning
the prejudice of race; it is an illusion, a superstition pure and simple, for
God created us all of one race. ... In the beginning also there were no limits
and boundaries between the different lands; no part of the earth belonged more
to one people than to another. In the sight of God there is no different between
the various races. Why should man invent such a prejudice? How can we uphold war
caused by such an illusion? God has not created men that they should destroy one
another. All races, tribes, sects and classes share equally in the bounty of their
Heavenly Father. The
only real difference lies in the degree of faithfulness, of obedience to the laws
of God. There are some who are as lighted torches; there are others who shine
as stars in the sky of humanity. The
lovers of mankind, these are the superior men, of whatever nation, creed or color
they may be. Equally
mischievous with racial prejudice is political or patriotic prejudice. The time
has now come when narrow national patriotisms should be merged in the wider patriotism
whose country is the world. Baha'u'llah says: -- Of
old it hath been revealed: "Love of one's country is an element of the Faith of
God." The Tongue of Grandeur hath ... in the day of His manifestation proclaimed:
"It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world."
Through the power released by these exalted words He hath lent a fresh impulse,
and set a new direction, to the birds of men's hearts, and hath obliterated every
trace of restriction and limitation from God's Holy Book. -- Tablet of the World.
Territorial
Ambitions
Many
are the wars which have been fought over pieces of territory whose possession
has been coveted by two or more rival nations. The greed of possession has been
as fertile a cause of strife among nations as among individuals. According to
the Bahá'í view, land rightly belongs not to individual men or individual nations
but to humanity as a whole; nay, rather, it belongs to God alone, and all men
are but tenants.
On
the occasion of the Battle of Benghazi1
, Abdu'l-Baha said: --
The
news of the Battle of Benghazi grieves my heart. I wonder at the human savagery
that still exists in the world: How is it possible for men to fight from morning
till night, killing each other, shedding the blood of their fellowmen? And for
what object? To gain possession of a part of the earth! Even the animals when
they fight have an immediate and more reasonable cause for their attacks. How
terrible is it that men who are of the higher kingdom can descend to slaying and
bringing misery to their fellow beings for the possession of a tract of land --
the highest of created beings fighting to obtain the lowest form of matter, earth.
Land
belongs not to one people but to all people. The earth is not man's home but his
tomb. However
great the conqueror, however many countries he may reduce to slavery, he is unable
to retain any part of these devastated lands but one tiny portion -- his tomb.
If
more land is required for the improvement of the condition of the people, for
the spread of civilization ... surely it would be possible to acquire peaceably
the necessary extension of territory. But war is made for the satisfaction of
men's ambition. For the sake of worldly gain to the few terrible misery is brought
to numberless homes, breaking the hearts of hundred of men and women. ... I
charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of his heart
on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought
of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of
love. When soldiers of the world draw their swords to kill, soldiers of God clasp
each other's hands. So may all the savagery of men disappear by the mercy of God,
working through the pure in heart and the sincere of soul. Do not think the peace
of the world an ideal impossible to attain. Nothing is impossible to the divine
benevolence of God. If you desire with all your heart friendship with every race
on earth, your thought, spiritual and positive will spread; it will become the
desire of others, growing stronger until it reaches the minds of all men. Universal
Language
Having
glanced at the principal causes of war and how they may be avoided, we may now
proceed to examine certain constructive proposals made by Baha'u'llah with a view
to achieving the Most Great Peace. The
first deals with the establishment of a universal auxiliary language. Baha'u'llah
refers to this matter in the Book of Aqdas and in many of His Tablets. Thus in
the Tablet of Ishraqat He says: The
Sixth Ishraq (Effulgence) is Concord and Union amongst men. Through the radiance
of Union have the regions of the world at all times been illumined, and the greatest
of all means thereunto is the understanding of one another's writing and speech.
Ere this, in Our Epistles, have We commanded the Trustees of the House of Justice,
either to choose one of the existing tongues, or to originate a new one, and in
like manner to adopt a common script, teaching these to the children in all the
schools of the world, that the world may become even as one land and one home. About
the time when this proposal of Baha'u'llah was first given to the world, there
was born in Poland a boy named Ludovic Zamenhof, who was destined to play a leading
part in carrying it into effect. Almost from his infancy, the ideal of a universal
language became a dominant motive in Zamenhof's life, and the result of his devoted
labors was the invention and widespread adoption of the language known as Esperanto,
which has now stood the test of many years and
has proved to be a very satisfactory medium of international intercourse. It has
the great advantage that it can be mastered in about a twentieth part of the time
required to master such languages as English, French or German. At an Esperanto
banquet given in Paris in February 1913, Abdu'l-Baha said: -- Today
one of the chief causes of the differences in Europe is the diversity of languages.
We say this man is a German, the other is an Italian, then we meet an Englishman
and then again a Frenchman. Although they belong to the same race, yet language
is the greatest barrier between them. Were a universal auxiliary language in operation
they would all be considered as one. His
Holiness Baha'u'llah wrote about this international language more than forty years
ago. He says that as long as an international language is not adopted, complete
union between the various sections of the world will be unrealized, for we observe
that misunderstandings keep people from mutual association, and these misunderstandings
will not be dispelled except through an international auxiliary language. Generally
speaking, the whole people of the Orient are not fully informed of events in the
West, neither can the Westerners put themselves in sympathetic touch with the
Easterners; their thoughts are enclosed in a casket -- the international language
will be the master key to open it. Were we in possession of a universal language,
the Western books could easily be translated into that language, and the Eastern
peoples be informed of their contents. In the same way the books of the East could
be translated into that language for the benefit of the people in the West. The
greatest means of progress towards the union of East and West will be a common
language. It will make the whole world one home and become the strongest impulse
for human advancement. It will upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity.
It will make the earth one universal commonwealth. It will be the causeof love
between the children of men. It will cause good fellowship between the various
races.
Now,
praise be to God that Dr. Zamenhof1
has invented the Esperanto language. It has all the
potential qualities of becoming the international
means of communication. All of us must be grateful
and thankful to him for this noble effort; for in
this way he has served his fellowmen well. With untiring
effort and self-sacrifice on the part of its devotees
Esperanto will become universal. Therefore every one
of us must study this language and spread it as far
as possible so that day by day it may receive a broader
recognition, be accepted by all nations and governments
of the world, and become a part of the curriculum
in all the public schools. I hope that Esperanto will
be adopted as the language of all the future international
conferences and congresses, so that all people need
acquire only two languages -- one their own tongue
and the other the international language. Then perfect
union will be established between all the people of
the world. Consider how difficult it is today to communicate
with various nations. If one studies fifty languages
one may yet travel through a country and not know
the language. Therefore I hope that you will make
the utmost effort, so that this language of Esperanto
may be widely spread.
While
these allusions to Esperanto are specific and encouraging, it remains true that
until the House of Justice has acted on the matter in accordance with Baha'u'llah's
instruction the Bahá'í Faith is not committed to Esperanto nor to any other living
or artificial tongue. Abdu'l-Baha Himself said: "The love and effort put into
Esperanto will not be lost, but no one person can construct a Universal Language."
-- Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 95. Which
language to adopt, and whether it is to be a new or
constructed one, is a decision which the nations of the world will have to make. Universal
League of Nations
Another
proposal frequently and powerfully advocated by Baha'u'llah
was that a Universal League of Nations should be formed
for the maintenance of international peace. In a letter
to Queen Victoria, written while He was still a prisoner
in the barracks of Akka,1
He said: --
O
Rulers of the earth! Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need no more
armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. ... Be
united, O Kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled
amongst you, and your people find rest. ... Should any one among you take up arms
against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.
In
1875, Abdu'l-Baha gave a forecast of the establishment
of a Universal League of Nations, which is especially
interesting at the present time2
in view of the strenuous attempts now being made to
establish such a league. He wrote: --
True
civilization will unfurl its banner in the midmost heart of the world whenever
a certain number of its distinguished and high-minded sovereigns -- the shining
exemplars of devotion and determination -- shall, for the good and happiness of
all mankind, arise, with firm resolve and clear vision, to establish the Cause
of Universal Peace. They must make the Cause of Peace the object of general consultation,
and seek by every means in their power to establish a Union of the nations of
the world. They must conclude a binding treaty and establish a covenant, the provisions
of which shall be sound, inviolable and definite. They must proclaim it to all
the world and obtain for it the sanction of all the human race. This supreme and
noble undertaking -- the real source of the peace and well-being of all the world
-- should be regarded as sacred by all that dwell on earth. All the forces of
humanity must be mobilized to ensure the stability and permanence of this Most
Great Covenant. In this all-embracing Pact the limits and frontiers of each and
every nation should be clearly fixed, the principles underlying the relations
of governments towards one another definitely laid down, and all international
agreements and obligations ascertained. In like manner, the size of the armaments
of every government should be strictly limited, for if the preparations for war
and the military forces of any nation should be allowed to increase, they will
arouse the suspicion of others. The fundamental principle underlying this solemn
Pact should be so fixed that if any government later violate any one of its provisions,
all the governments on earth should arise to reduce it to utter submission, nay
the human race as a whole should resolve, with every power at its disposal, to
destroy that government. Should this greatest of all remedies be applied to the
sick body of the world, it will assuredly recover from its ills and will remain
eternally safe and secure. -- The Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 64-65.
Bahá'ís
see grave deficiencies in the structure of the League
of Nations1
which falls short of the type of institution which Baha'u'llah
described as essential to the establishment of world
peace. On December 17, 1919, Abdu'l-Baha declared: --
At
present Universal Peace is a matter of great importance, but unity of conscience
is essential, so that the foundation of this matter may become secure, its establishment
firm and its edifice strong. ... Although the League of Nations has been brought
into existence, yet it is incapable of establishing Universal Peace. But the Supreme
Tribunal which His Holiness Baha'u'llah has described will fulfill this sacred
task with the utmost might and power.
International
Arbitration
Baha'u'llah
also advocated the establishment of an international court of arbitration, so
that differences arising between nations might be settled in accordance with justice
and reason, instead of by appeal to the ordeal of battle. In
a letter to the Secretary of the Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration,
in August 1911, Abdu'l-Baha said: -- About
fifty years ago in the Book of Aqdas, Baha'u'llah commanded people to establish
universal peace and summoned all the nations to the divine banquet of international
arbitration, so that the questions of boundaries, of national honor and property,
and of vital interests between nations might be settled by an arbitral court of
justice, and that no nation would dare to refuse to abide by the decisions thus
arrived at. If any quarrel between two nations it must be adjudicated by this
international court and be arbitrated and decided upon like the judgment rendered
by the Judge between two individuals. If at any time any nation dares to break
such a decision, all the other nations must arise to put down this rebellion.
Again, in one of His Paris talks in 1911, He said: -- A
supreme tribunal shall be established by the peoples and governments of every
nation, composed of members elected from each country and government. The members
of this great council shall assemble in unity. All disputes of an international
character shall be submitted to this court, its work being to arrange by arbitration
everything which otherwise would be a cause of war. This mission of this tribunal
would be to prevent war. During
the quarter of a century preceding the establishment of the League of Nations
a permanent Court of Arbitration was
established at The Hague (1900), and many arbitration treaties were signed, but
most of these fell far short of the comprehensive proposals of Baha'u'llah. No
arbitration treaty was made between two great Powers in which all matters of dispute
were included. Differences affecting "vital interests," "honor" and "independence"
were specifically excepted. Not only so, but effective guarantees that nations
would abide by the terms of the treaties into which they had entered were lacking.
In the Bahá'í proposals, on the other hand, questions of boundaries, of national
honor and of vital interest are expressly included, and agreements will have the
supreme guarantee of the World League of Nations behind them. Only when these
proposals are completely carried out will international arbitration attain the
full scope of its beneficent possibilities and the curse of war be finally banished
from the world.
Limitation
of Armaments
Abdu'l-Baha says: By
a general agreement all the governments of the world must disarm simultaneously.
It will not do if one lays down its arms and the others refuse to do so. The nations
of the world must concur with each other concerning this supremely important subject,
so that they may abandon together the deadly weapons of human slaughter. As long
as one nation increases her military and naval budget other nations will be forced
into this crazed competition through their natural and supposed interests. --
Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, May 11-14, 1914.
Nonresistance
As
a religious body, Bahá'ís have, at the express command of Baha'u'llah, entirely
abandoned the use of armed force in their own interests, even for strictly defensive
purposes. In Persia many, many thousands of the Babis and Bahá'ís have suffered
cruel deaths because of their faith. In the early days of
the Cause the Babis on various occasions defended themselves and their families
by the sword, with great courage and bravery. Baha'u'llah, however, forbade this.
Abdu'l-Baha writes: -- When
Baha'u'llah appeared, He declared that the promulgation of the truth by such means
must on no account be allowed, even for purposes of self-defense. He abrogated
the rule of the sword and annulled the ordinance of "Holy War." "If ye be slain,"
said He, "it is better for you than to slay. It is through the firmness and assurance
of the faithful that the Cause of the Lord must be diffused. As the faithful,
fearless and undaunted, arise with absolute detachment to exalt the Word of God,
and, with eyes averted from the things of this world, engaged in service for the
Lord's sake and by His power, thereby will they cause the Word of Truth to triumph.
These blessed souls bear witness by their lifeblood to the truth of the Cause
and attest it by the sincerity of their faith, their devotion and their constancy.
The Lord can avail to diffuse His Cause and to defeat the froward. We desire no
defender but Him, and with our lives in our hands face the foe and welcome martyrdom."
(written by Abdu'l-Baha for this book).
Baha'u'llah
wrote to one of the persecutors of His cause: -- Gracious
God! This people need no weapons of destruction, inasmuch as they have girded
themselves to reconstruct the world. Their hosts are the hosts of goodly deeds,
and their arms the arms of upright conduct, and their commander the fear of God.
Blessed that one that judgeth with fairness. By the righteousness of God! Such
hath been the patience, the calm, the resignation of contentment of this people
that they have become the exponents of justice, and so great hath been their forbearance,
that they have suffered themselves to be killed rather than kill, and this notwithstanding
that these whom the world hath wronged have endured tribulations the like of which
the history of the world hath never recorded, nor the eyes of any nation witnessed.
What is it that could have induced them to reconcile themselves to these grievous
trials, and to refuse to put forth a hand to repel them? What could have caused
such resignation and serenity? The true cause is to be found in the band which
the Pen of Glory hath, day and night, chosen to impose, and in Our assumption
of the reins of authority, through the power and might of Him Who is the Lord
of all mankind. -- Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pp. 74-75. The
soundness of Baha'u'llah's nonresistance policy has already been proved by results.
For every believer martyred in Persia, the Bahá'í faith has received a hundred
new believers into its fold, and the glad and dauntless way in which these martyrs
cast the crowns of their lives at the feet of their Lord has furnished to the
world the clearest proof that they had found a new life for which death has no
terrors, a life of ineffable fullness and joy, compared with which the pleasures
of earth are but as dust in the balance, and the most fiendish physical tortures
but trifles light as air.
Righteous Warfare
Although
Baha'u'llah, like Christ, counsels His follows as individuals
and as a religious body to adopt an attitude of nonresistance
and forgiveness toward their enemies, He teaches that
it is the duty of the community to prevent injustice
and oppression. If individuals are persecuted and injured
it is wrong for a community to allow pillage and murder
to continue unchecked within its borders. It is the
duty of a good government to prevent wrongdoing and
to punish offenders.1
So also with the community of nations. If one nation
oppresses or injures another, it is the duty of all
other nations to unite to prevent such oppression. Abdu'l-Baha
writes: -- "It may happen that at a given time warlike
and savage tribes may furiously
attack the body politic with the intention of carrying
on a wholesale slaughter of its members; under such
a circumstance defense is necessary."
Hitherto
the usual practice of mankind has been that if one nation attacked another, the
rest of the nations of the world remained neutral, and accepted no responsibility
in the matter unless their own interests were directly affected or threatened.
The whole burden of defense was left to the nation attacked, however weak and
helpless it might be. The teaching of Baha'u'llah reverses this position and throws
the responsibility of defense not specially on the nation attacked, but on all
the others, individually and collectively. As the whole of mankind is one community,
an attack on any one nation is an attack on the community, and ought to be dealt
with by the community. Were this doctrine generally recognized and acted on, any
nation contemplating an aggression on another would know in advance that it would
have to reckon with the opposition not of that other nation only, but of the whole
of the rest of the world. This knowledge alone would be sufficient to deter even
the boldest and most bellicose of nations. When a sufficiently strong league of
peace-loving nations is established war will, there, become a thing of the past.
During the period of transition from the old state of international anarchy to
the new state of international solidarity aggressive wars will still be possible,
and in these circumstances, military or other coercive action in the cause of
international justice, unity and peace may be a positive duty. Abdu'l-Baha writes
that in such case: -- A
conquest can be a praiseworthy thing, and there are times when war becomes the
powerful basis of peace, and ruin the very means of reconstruction. If, for example,
a high-minded sovereign marshals his troops to block the onset of the insurgent
and the aggressor, or again, if he takes the field and distinguishes himself in
a struggle to unify a divided state and people, if, in brief, he is waging war
for a righteous purpose, then this seeming wrath is mercy itself, and this apparent
tyranny the very substance of justice and this warfare the cornerstone of peace.
Today, the task befitting great rulers is to establish universal peace, for in
this lies the freedom of all peoples. -- The Secret of Divine Civilization, pp.
70-71. Unity
of East and West
Another
factor which will help in bringing about universal peace is the linking together
of the East and the West. The Most Great Peace is no mere cessation of hostilities,
but a fertilizing union and cordial cooperation of the hitherto sundered peoples
of the earth which will bear much precious fruit. In one of His talks in Paris,
Abdu'l-Baha said: -- In
the past, as in the present, the Spiritual Sun of Truth has always shone from
the horizon of the East. In the East Moses arose to lead and teach the people.
On the Eastern horizon rose the Lord Christ. Muhammad was sent to an Eastern nation.
The Bab arose in the Eastern land of Persia. Baha'u'llah lived and taught in the
East. All the great spiritual teachers arose in the Eastern world. But
although the Sun of Christ dawned in the East, the radiance thereof was apparent
in the West, where the effulgence of its glory was more clearly seen. The divine
light of His teaching shone with a greater force in the Western world, where it
has made more rapid headway than in the land of its birth. In
these days the East is in need of material progress and the West is in need of
a spiritual ideal. It would be well for the West to turn to the East for illumination,
and to give in exchange its scientific knowledge. There must be this interchange
of gifts. The East and the West must unite to give to each other what is lacking.
This union will bring about true civilization where the spiritual is expressed
and carried out in the material. Receiving thus, the one from the other, the greatest
harmony will prevail, all people will be united, a state of great perfection will
be attained, there will be a firm cementing, and this world will become a shining
mirror for the reflection of the attributes of God. We
all, the Eastern and the Western nations, must strive day and night, with heart
and soul, to achieve this high ideal, to cement the unity between all the nations
of the earth. Every heart will then be refreshed, all eyes will be opened, the
most wonderful power will be given, the happiness of humanity will be assured.
... This will be the Paradise which is to come on earth, when all mankind will
be gathered together under the Tent of Unity in the Kingdom of Glory.
Footnotes:
Page 162: 1. A battle of the Italo-Turkish War which broke
out on September 29, 1911. [back]
Page 165: 1.
It is of interest that Zamenhof's daughter, Lydia, became an active Bahá'í. [back]
Page 166: 1.
1868 to 1870. [back] 2. The author wrote
this passage in 1919-1920. [back]
Page 167: 1.
The same considerations apply to the United Nations Organization. [back]
Page 171: 1.
See also section on Treatment of Criminals, pp. 153-155. [back]
Chapter 11
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter Eleven: Various
Ordinances and Teachings Know
thou that in every age and dispensation all divine ordinances are changed and
transformed according to the requirement of the time, except the law of love,
which, like a fountain, always flows and is never overtaken by change. -- BAHA'U'LLAH.
Monastic
Life
Baha'u'llah,
like Muhammad, forbids His followers to lead lives of monastic seclusion. In
the Tablet to Napoleon III we read: --
O
concourse of monks! Seclude not yourselves in churches and cloisters. Come forth
by My leave, and occupy yourselves with that which will profit your souls and
the souls of men. ... Enter ye into wedlock, that after you someone may fill your
place. We have forbidden you perfidious acts, and not that which will demonstrate
fidelity. Have ye clung to the standards fixed by your own selves, and cast the
standards of God behind your backs? Fear God, and be not of the foolish. But for
man, who would make mention of Me on My earth, and how could My attributes and
My name have been revealed? Ponder ye, and be not of them that are veiled and
fast asleep. He that wedded not (Jesus) found no place wherein to dwell or lay
His head, by reason of that which the hands of the treacherous had wrought. His
sanctity consisteth not in that which ye believe or fancy, but rather in the things
We possess. Ask, that ye may apprehend His station which hath been exalted above
the imaginings of all that dwell on earth. Blessed are they who perceive it. Does
it not seem strange that Christian sects should have instituted the monastic life
and celibacy for the clergy, in view of the facts that Christ chose married men
for His disciples, and both He Himself and His apostles lived lives of active
beneficence, in close association and familiar intercourse with the people? In
the Muhammadan Qur'an we read: -- To
Jesus the son of Mary We gave the Gospel, and We put into the hearts of those
who followed Him kindness and compassion: but as to the monastic life, they invented
it themselves. The desire only of pleasing god did We prescribe to them, and this
they observed not as it ought to have been observed. -- Qur'an, s. lviii. 27.
Whatever
justification there may have been for the monastic life in ancient times and bygone
circumstances, Baha'u'llah declares that such justification no longer exists;
and, indeed, it seems obvious that the withdrawal of a large number of the most
pious and God-fearing of the population from association with their fellows, and
from the duties and responsibilities of parenthood, must result in the spiritual
impoverishment of the race.
Marriage
The
Bahá'í teachings enjoin monogamy, and Baha'u'llah makes marriage conditional on
the consent of both parties and of their parents. He says in the Book of Aqdas:
-- Verily in the Book of Bayan (the Bab's
Revelation) the matter is restricted to the consent of both (bride and bridegroom).
As We desired to bring about love and friendship and the unity of the people,
therefore We made it conditional upon the consent of the parents also, that enmity
and ill-feeling might be avoided. -- Kitab-i-Aqdas. On
this point Abdu'l-Baha wrote to an inquirer: -- "As to the question of marriage,
according to the law of God: First you must select one, and then it depends on
the consent of the father and mother. Before your selection they have no right
of interference." Abdu'l-Baha
says that as a result of this precaution of Baha'u'llah's the strained relations
between relatives-in-law which have become proverbial in Christian and Muhammadan
countries are almost unknown among the Bahá'ís, and divorce is also of very rare
occurrence. He writes on the subject of matrimony: -- Bahá'í
marriage is union and cordial affection between the two parties. They must, however,
exercise the utmost care and become acquainted with each other's character. This
eternal bond should be made secure by a firm covenant, and the intention should
be to foster harmony, fellowship and unity and to attain everlasting life. ...
In
a true Bahá'í marriage the two parties must become fully united both spiritually
and physically, so that they may attain eternal union throughout all the worlds
of God, and improve the spiritual life of each other. This is Bahá'í matrimony. The
Bahá'í marriage ceremony is very simple, the only requirement being that the groom
and the bride, in the presence of at least two witnesses, each say: "We will all,
verily, abide by the Will of God."
Divorce
In the matter
of divorce, as in that of marriage, the instructions of the Prophets have varied
in accordance with the circumstances of the times. Abdu'l-Baha states the Bahá'í
teaching, with regard to divorce, thus: -- The
friends (Bahá'ís) must strictly refrain from divorce unless something arises which
compels them to separate because of their aversion for each other; in that case,
with the knowledge of the Spiritual Assembly, they may decide to separate. They
must then be patient and wait one complete year. If during this year harmony is
not reestablished between them, then their divorce may be realized. ... The foundation
of the Kingdom of God is based upon harmony and love, oneness, relationship and
union, not upon differences, especially between husband and wife. If one of these
two become the cause of divorce, that one will unquestionably fall into great
difficulties, will become the victim of formidable calamities and experience deep
remorse. (Tablet to the Bahá'ís of America). In
the matter of divorce, as in other matters, Bahá'ís will, of course, be bound
not only by the Bahá'í teaching, but also by the laws of the country in which
they live.
The
Bahá'í Calendar
Among
different peoples and at different times many different methods have been adopted
for the measurement of time and fixing of dates, and several different calendars
are still in daily use, e.g., the Gregorian in Western Europe, the Julian in many
countries of Eastern Europe, the Hebrew among the Jews, and the Muhammadan in
Muslim communities. The
Bab signalized the importance of the dispensation which He came to herald, by
inaugurating a new calendar. In this, as in the Gregorian Calendar, the lunar
month is abandoned and the solar year is adopted. The
Bahá'í year consists of 19 months of 19 days each (i.e. 361 days), with the addition
of certain "Intercalary Days" (four in ordinary and five in leap years) between
the eighteenth and nineteenth months in order to adjust the calendar to the solar
year. The Bab named the months after the attributes of God. The Bahá'í New Year,
like the ancient Persian New Year, is astronomically fixed, commencing at the
March equinox (usually March 21), and the Bahá'í era commences with the year of
the Bab's declaration (i.e. 1844 A.D., 1260 A.H.). In
the not far distant future it will be necessary that all peoples in the world
agree on a common calendar. It
seems, therefore, fitting that the new age of unity should have a new calendar
free from the objections and associations which make each of the older calendar
unacceptable to large sections of the world's population, and it is difficult
to see how any other arrangement could exceed in simplicity and convenience that
proposed by the Bab. The
months in the Bahá'í Calendar are as follows:
| Arabic Name | Translation | First
Days | 1st | Baha | Splendor | March 21 |
2nd | Jalal | Glory | April 9 | 3rd | Jamal | Beauty | April
28 | 4th | Azamat | Grandeur | May 17 |
5th | Nur | Light | June 5 | 6th | Rahmat | Mercy | June
24 | 7th | Kalimat | Words | July 31 |
8th | Kamal | Perfection | Aug. 1 | 9th | Asma' | Names | Aug.
20 | 10th | 'Izzat | Might | Sept. 8 |
11th | Mashiyyat | Will | Sept. 27 | 12th | `Ilm | Knowledge | Oct.
16 | 13th | Qudrat | Power | Nov. 4 |
14th | Qawl | Speech | Nov. 23 | 15th | Masa'il | Questions | Dec.
12 | 16th | Sharaf | Honor | Dec. 31 |
17th | Sultan | Sovereignty | Jan. 19 | 18th | Mulk | Dominion | Feb.
7 | Intercalary Days Feb. 26 to March 1, inclusive. |
19th | Ala' | Loftiness | March 2 |
Spiritual
Assemblies
Before
Abdu'l-Baha completed His earthly mission, He had laid a basis for the development
of the administrative order established in Baha'u'llah's Writings. To show the
high importance to be attributed to the institution of the Spiritual Assembly,
Abdu'l-Baha in a tablet declared that a certain translation must be approved by
the Spiritual Assembly of Cairo before publication, even though He Himself had
reviewed and corrected the text. By
Spiritual Assembly is meant the administrative body of nine persons, elected annually
by each local Bahá'í community, in which is vested the authority of decision on
all matters of mutual action on the part of the community. This designation is
temporary, since in future the Spiritual Assemblies will be termed Houses of Justice.
Unlike the
organization of churches, these Bahá'í bodies are social rather than ecclesiastical
institutions. That is, they apply the law of consultation to all questions and
difficulties arising between Bahá'ís, who are called upon not to carry them to
the civil court, and seek to promote unity as well as justice throughout the community.
The Spiritual Assembly is in no wise equivalent to the priest or clergy, but is
responsible for upholding the teachings, stimulating active service, conducting
meetings, maintaining unity, holding Bahá'í property in trust for the community,
and representing it in its relations to the public and to other Bahá'í communities.
The nature
of the Spiritual Assembly, local and national, is described more fully in the
section devoted to the Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha in the final chapter,
but its general functions have been defined by Shoghi Effendi as follows: -- The
matter of Teaching, its direction, its ways and means, its extension, its consolidation,
essential as they are to the interests of the Cause, constitute by no means the
only issue which should receive the full attention of these Assemblies. A careful
study of Baha'u'llah's and Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets will reveal that other duties,
no less vital to the interests of the Cause, devolve upon the elected representatives
of the friends in every locality. It
is incumbent upon them to be vigilant and cautious, discreet and watchful, and
protect at all times the Temple of the Cause from the dart of the mischief-maker
and the onslaught of the enemy. They
must endeavor to promote amity and concord amongst the friends, efface every lingering
trace of distrust, coolness and estrangement from every heart, and secure in its
stead an active and whole-hearted cooperation for the service of the Cause. They
must do their utmost to extend at all times the helping hand to the poor, the
sick, the disabled, the orphan, the widow, irrespective of color, caste and creed.
They must
promote by every means in their power the material as well as the spiritual enlightenment
of youth, the means for the education of children, institute, whenever possible,
Bahá'í educational institutions, organize and supervise their work and provide
the best means for their progress and development. ... They
must undertake the arrangement of the regular meetings of the friends, the feasts
and the anniversaries, as well as the special gatherings designed to serve and
promote the social, intellectual and spiritual interests of their fellow-men.
They must
supervise in these days when the Cause is still in its infancy all Bahá'í publications
and translations, and provide in general for a dignified and accurate presentation
of all Bahá'í literature and its distribution to the general public. The
possibilities inherent in Bahá'í institutions can only be estimated when one realizes
how rapidly modern civilization is disintegrating for lack of that spiritual power
which can alone supply the necessary attitude of responsibility and humility to
the leaders and the requisite loyalty to the individual members of society.
Bahá'í Feasts, Anniversaries, and Days of Fasting
- Feast of Naw-Ruz
(Bahá'í New Year), March 21.
- Feast
of Ridvan (Declaration of Baha'u'llah), April 21-May 2.
- Declaration
of the Bab, May 23.1
- Ascension
of Baha'u'llah, May 29.
- Martyrdom
of the Bab, July 9.
- Birth
of the Bab, October 20.
- Birth
of Baha'u'llah, November 12.
- Day
of the Covenant, November 26.
- Ascension
of Abdu'l-Baha, November 28.
- Period
of the Fast, nineteen days beginning March 2.
Feasts
The
essential joyousness of the Bahá'í religion finds expression in numerous feasts
and holidays throughout the year. In
a talk on the Feast of Naw-Ruz, in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1912, Abdu'l-Baha said:
-- In
the sacred laws of God, in every cycle and dispensation there are blessed feasts,
holidays and workless days. On such days all kinds of occupations, commerce, industry,
agriculture, etc., should be suspended. All
should rejoice together, hold general meetings, become as one assembly, so that
the national oneness, unity and harmony may be demonstrated in the eyes of all.
As it is
a blessed day it should not be neglected, nor deprived of results by making it
a day devoted to the pursuit of mere pleasure. During
such days institutions should be founded that may be of permanent benefit and
value to the people. ... Today
there is no result or fruit greater than guiding the people. Undoubtedly the friends
of God, upon such a day, must leave tangible philanthropic or ideal traces that
should reach all mankind and not pertain only to the Bahá'ís. In this wonderful
dispensation, philanthropic affairs are for all humanity without exception, because
it is the manifestation of the mercifulness of God. Therefore, my hope is that
the friends of God, every one of them, may become as the mercy of God to all mankind. The
Feasts of Naw-Ruz (New Year) and Ridvan, the Anniversaries of the Birth of the
Bab and Baha'u'llah, and of the Bab's Declaration (which is also the birthday
of Abdu'l-Baha) are the great joy-days of the year for Bahá'ís. In Persia they
are celebrated by picnics or festal gatherings at which music, the chanting of
verses and tablets, and short addresses suitable to the occasion are contributed
by those present. The intercalary days between the eighteenth and nineteenth months
(that is, February 26 to March 1 inclusive) are specially devoted to hospitality
to friends, the giving of presents, ministering to the poor and sick, et cetera.
The
anniversaries of the martyrdom of the Bab and the departure of Baha'u'llah and
Abdu'l-Baha are celebrated with solemnity by appropriate meetings and discourses,
the chanting of prayers and Tablets.
Fast
The
nineteenth month, following immediately on the hospitality of the intercalary
days, is the month of the fast. During nineteen days the fast is observed by abstaining
from both food and drink from sunrise to sunset. As the month of the fast ends
at the March equinox, the fast always falls in the same season, namely, spring
in the Northern, and autumn in the Southern, Hemisphere; never in the extreme
heart of summer nor in the extreme cold of winter, when hardship would be likely
to result. At that season, moreover, the interval between sunrise and sunset is
approximately the same all over the habitable portion of the globe, namely, from
about 6 A.M. to 6 P.M. The fast is not binding on children and invalids, on travelers,
or on those who are too old or too weak (including women who are with child or
have babes at the breast). There
is much evidence to show that a periodical fast such as is enjoined by the Bahá'í
teachings is beneficial as a measure of physical hygiene, but just as the reality
of the Bahá'í fast does not lie in the consumption of physical food, but in the
commemoration of God, which is our spiritual food, so the reality of the Bahá'í
fast does not consist in abstention from physical food, although that may help
in the purification of the body, but in the abstention from the desires and lusts
of the flesh, and in severance from all save God. Abdu'l-Baha says: -- Fasting
is a symbol. Fasting signifies abstinence from lust. Physical fasting is a symbol
of that abstinence, and is a reminder; that is, just as a person abstains from
physical appetites, he is to abstain from self-appetites and self-desires. But
mere abstention from food has no effect on the spirit. It is only a symbol, a
reminder. Otherwise it is of no importance. Fasting for this purpose does not
mean entire abstinence from food. The golden rule as to food is, do not take too
much or too little. Moderation is necessary. There is a sect in India who practice
extreme abstinence, and gradually reduce their food until they exist on almost
nothing. But their intelligence suffers. A man is not fit to do service for God
with brain or body if he is weakened by lack of food. He cannot see clearly. (quoted
by Miss E. S. Stevens in Fortnightly Review, June 1911).
Meetings
Abdu'l-Baha attaches the greatest important to regular
meetings of the believers for united worship, for the exposition and study of
the teachings and for consultation regarding the progress of the Movement. In
one of His Tablets He says: -- It hath been
decided by the Desire of God that union and harmony may day by day increase among
the friends of God and the handmaids of the Merciful. Not until this is realized
will the affairs advance by any means whatever! And the greatest means for the
union and harmony of all are Spiritual Meetings. This matter is very important
and is as a magnet to attract divine confirmation. In
the spiritual meetings of Bahá'ís contentious argument and the discussion of political
or worldly affairs must be avoided; the sole aim of the believers should be to
teach and learn Divine Truth, to have their hearts filled with Divine Love, to
attain more perfect obedience to the Divine Will, and to promote the coming of
the Kingdom of God. In an address given at New York in 1912, Abdu'l-Baha said:
-- The Bahá'í meeting must be the meeting
of the Celestial Concourse. It must be illumined by the lights of the Celestial
Concourse. The hearts must be as mirrors wherein the lights of the Sun of Truth
shall be revealed. Every bosom must be as a telegraph station: one terminal of
the wire shall be in the bosom of the soul, the other in the Celestial Concourse,
so that messages may be exchanged between them. In this way from the Abha Kingdom
inspiration shall flow and in all discussions harmony shall prevail. ... The more
agreement, unity and love prevail among you, the more shall the confirmations
of God assist you, and the help and aid of the Blessed Beauty, Baha'u'llah, support
you. In one of His Tablets He said:
-- In these meetings outside conversation
must be entirely avoided, and the gathering must be confined to chanting the verses
and reading the words, and to matters which concern the Cause of God, such as
explaining proofs, adducing clear and manifest evidences, and tracing the signs
of the Beloved One of the creatures. Those who attend the meeting must, before
entering, be arrayed with the utmost cleanliness and turn to the Abha Kingdom,
and then enter the meeting with all meekness and humbleness; and while the tablets
are being read, must be quiet and silent; and if one wishes to speak he must do
so with all courtesy, with the satisfaction and permission of those present, and
do it with eloquence and fluency. The
Nineteen Day Feast
With
the development of the Bahá'í administrative order since the ascension of Abdu'l-Baha,
the Nineteen Day Feast, observed on the first day of each Bahá'í month, has assumed
a very special importance, providing as it does not only for community prayer
and reading from the Holy Books, but also for general consultation on all current
Bahá'í affairs and for the association of the friends together. This Feast is
the occasion when the Spiritual Assembly makes its reports to the community and
invites both discussion of plans and suggestions for new and better methods of
service.
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar1
Baha'u'llah
left instructions that temples of worship should be
built by His followers in every country and city. To
these temples He gave the name of "Mashriqu'l-Adhkar,"
which means "Dawning Place of God's Praise." The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar
is to be a nine-sided building surmounted by a dome,
and as beautiful as possible in design and workmanship.
It is to stand in a large garden adorned with fountains,
trees and flowers, surrounded by a number of accessory
buildings devoted to educational, charitable and social
purposes, so that the worship of God in the temple may
always be closely associated with reverent delight in
the beauties of nature and of art, and with practical
work for the amelioration of social conditions.2
In
Persia, up till the present, Bahá'ís have
been debarred from building temples for public worship,
and so the first great Mashriqu'l-Adhkar was built in
Ishqabad,1
Russia. Abdu'l-Baha dedicated the site of the second
Bahá'í House of Worship, to stand on the
shore of Lake Michigan a few miles north of Chicago,
during His visit to America in 1912.2
In
tablets referring to this "Mother Temple" of the West, Abdu'l-Baha writes as follows:
-- Praise
be to God, that, at this moment, from every country in the world, according to
their various means, contributions are continually being sent toward the fund
of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar in America. ... From the day of Adam until now, such
a thing has never been witnessed by man, that from the furthermost country of
Asia contributions were forwarded to America. This is through the power of the
Covenant of God. Verily this is a cause of astonishment for the people of perception.
It is hoped that the believers of God may show magnanimity and raise a great sum
for the building. ... I want everyone left free to act as he wills. If anyone
wishes to put money into other things, let him do so. Do not interfere with him
in any way, but be assured that the most important thing at this time is the building
of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar. ...
The mystery of the edifice is great, and cannot be unveiled yet, but its erection
is the most important undertaking of this day. The Mashriqu'l-Adhkar has important
accessories, which are accounted of the basic foundations. These are: school for
orphan children, hospital and dispensary for the poor, home for the incapable,
college for the higher scientific education, and hospice. In every city a great
Mashriqu'l-Adhkar must be founded after this order. In
the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar services will be held every morning. There will be no organ
in the Temple. In buildings nearby, festivals, services, conventions, public meetings
and spiritual gatherings will be held, but in the Temple the chanting and singing
will be unaccompanied. Open ye the gates of the Temple to all mankind. When
these institutions, college, hospital, hospice and establishment for the incurables,
university for the study of higher sciences, giving post-graduate courses, and
other philanthropic buildings are built, the doors will be opened to all the nations
and religions. There will be absolutely no line of demarcation drawn. Its charities
will be dispense irrespective of color or race. Its gates will be flung wide open
to mankind; prejudice towards none, love for all. The central building will be
devoted to the purpose of prayer and worship. Thus ... religion will become harmonized
with science, and science will be the handmaid of religion, both showering their
material and spiritual gifts on all humanity.
Life After Death
Baha'u'llah
tells us that the life in the flesh is but the embryonic stage of our existence,
and that escape from the body is like a new birth through which the human spirit
enters on a fuller, freer life. He writes: -- Know
thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue
to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which
neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this
world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty,
His dominion and power will endure. It will manifest the signs of God and His
attributes, and will reveal His loving kindness and bounty. The movement of My
Pen is stilled when it attempteth to befittingly describe the loftiness and glory
of so exalted a station. The honor with which the Hand of Mercy will invest the
soul is such as no tongue can adequately reveal, nor any other earthly agency
describe. Blessed is the soul which, at the hour of its separation from the body,
is sanctified from the vain imaginings of the peoples of the world. Such a soul
liveth and moveth in accordance with the Will of its Creator, and entereth the
all-highest Paradise. The Maids of Heaven, inmates of the loftiest mansions, will
circle around it, and the Prophets of God and His chosen ones will seek its companionship.
With them that soul will freely converse, and will recount unto them that which
it hath been made to endure in the path of God, the Lord of all worlds. If any
man be told that which hath been ordained for such a soul in the worlds of God,
the Lord of the throne on high and of earth below, his whole being will instantly
blaze out in his great longing to attain that most exalted, that sanctified and
resplendent station. ... The nature of the soul after death can never be described,
nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes of men.
The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose underlying
their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death,
ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the
throne of the Most High. The light which these souls radiate is responsible for
the progress of the world and the advancement of its peoples. They are like unto
leaven which leaveneth the world of being, and constitute the animating force
through which the arts and wonders of the world are made manifest. Through them
the clouds rain their bounty upon men, and the earth bringeth forth its fruits.
All things must needs have a cause, a motive power, an animating principle. These
souls and symbols of detachment have provided, and will continue to provide, the
supreme moving impulse in the world of being. The world beyond is as different
from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still
in the womb of its mother. -- Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp.
155-157. Similarly, Abdu'l-Baha
writes: -- The
mysteries of which man is heedless in the earthly world, those will he discover
in the heavenly world, and there will he be informed of the secrets of the truth;
how much more will he recognize or discover persons with whom he has been associated.
Undoubtedly the holy souls who find a pure eye and are favored with insight will,
in the kingdom of lights, be acquainted with all mysteries, and will seek the
bounty of witnessing the reality of every great soul. They will even manifestly
behold the Beauty of God in that world. Likewise will they find all the friends
of God, both those of the former and recent times, present in the heavenly assemblage.
The
difference and distinction between men will naturally become realized after their
departure from this mortal world. But this distinction is not in respect to place,
but in respect to the soul and the conscience. For the Kingdom of God is sanctified
(or free) from time and place; it is another world and another universe. And know
thou for a certainty that in the divine worlds the spiritual beloved ones will
recognize one another, and will seek union with each other, but a spiritual union.
Likewise a love that one may have entertained for anyone will not be forgotten
in the world of the Kingdom, nor wilt thou forget there the life that thou hadst
in the material world.
Heaven and Hell
Baha'u'llah
and Abdu'l-Baha regard the descriptions of Heaven and Hell given in some of the
older religious writings as symbolic, like the Biblical story of the Creation,
and not as literally true. According to Them, Heaven is the state of perfection,
and Hell that of imperfection; Heaven is harmony with God's will and with our
fellows, and Hell is the want of such harmony; Heaven is the condition of spiritual
life, and Hell that of spiritual death. A man may be either in Heaven or in Hell
while still in the body. The joys of Heaven are spiritual joys; and the pains
of Hell consist in the deprivation of these joys. Abdu'l-Baha
says: When
they [men] are delivered through the light of faith from the darkness of these
vices, and become illuminated with the radiance of the sun of reality, and ennobled
with all the virtues, they esteem this the greatest reward, and they know it to
be the true paradise. In the same way they consider that the spiritual punishment
... is to be subjected to the world of nature, to be veiled from God, to be brutal
and ignorant, to fall into carnal lusts, to be absorbed in animal frailties, to
be characterized with dark qualities ... these are the greatest punishments and
tortures. ... ...
The rewards of the other world are the perfections and the peace obtained in the
spiritual worlds after leaving this world ... the spiritual graces, the various
spiritual gifts in the Kingdom of God, the gaining of the desires of the heart
and the soul, and the meeting of God in the world of eternity. In the same way
the punishments of the other world ... consist in being deprived of the special
divine blessings and the absolute bounties, and falling into the lowest degrees
of existence. He who is deprived of these divine favours, although he continues
after death, is considered as dead by the people of truth. The
wealth of the other world is nearness to God. Consequently it is certain that
those who are near the Divine Court are allowed to intercede, and this intercession
is approved by God. ... It
is even possible that the condition of those who have died in sin and unbelief
may become changed; that is to say, they may become the object of pardon through
the bounty of God, not through His justice; for bounty is giving without desert,
and justice is giving what is deserved. As we have the power to pray for these
souls here, so likewise we shall possess the same power in the other world, which
is the Kingdom of God. ... Therefore in that world also they can make progress.
As here they can receive light by their supplications, there also they can plead
for forgiveness, and receive light through entreaties and supplications. Both
before and after putting off this material form, there is progress in perfection,
but not in state. ... There is no other being higher than a perfect man. But man
when he has reached this state can still make progress in perfections but not
in state, because there is no state higher than that of a perfect man to which
he can transfer himself. He only progresses in the state of humanity, for the
human perfections are infinite. Thus however learned a man may be, we can imagine
one more learned. Hence,
as the perfections of humanity are endless, man can also make progress in perfections
after leaving this world. -- Some Answered Questions, pp. 260, 261, 268, 269,
274.
Oneness of the Two Worlds
The
unity of humanity as taught by Baha'u'llah refers not only to men still in the
flesh, but to all human beings, whether embodied or disembodied. Not only all
men now living on the earth, but all in the spiritual world as well, are parts
of one and the same organism and these two parts are intimately dependent, one
on the other. Spiritual communion one with the other, far from being impossible
or unnatural, is constant and inevitable. Those whose spiritual faculties are
as yet undeveloped are unconscious of this vital connection, but as one's faculties
develop, communications with those beyond the veil gradually become more conscious
and definite. To the Prophets and saints this spiritual communion is as familiar
and real as are ordinary vision and conversation to the rest of mankind. Abdu'l-Baha
says: -- The
visions of the Prophets are not dreams; no, they are spiritual discoveries and
have reality. They say, for example: "I saw a person in a certain form, and I
said such a thing, and he gave such an answer." This vision is in the world of
wakefulness, and not in that of sleep. Nay, it is a spiritual discovery. ... ...
Among spiritual souls there are spiritual understandings, discoveries, a communion
which is purified from imagination and fancy, an association which is sanctified
from time and place. So it is written in the Gospel that on Mount Tabor, Moses
and Elias came to Christ, and it is evident that this was not a material meeting.
It was a spiritual condition. ... ...
[Communications such as] these are real, and produce wonderful effects in the
minds and thoughts of men, and cause their hearts to be attracted. -- Some Answered
Questions, pp. 290, 291, 292. While
admitting the reality of "supernormal" psychic faculties He deprecates attempts
to force their development prematurely. These faculties will unfold naturally
when the right time comes, if we only follow the path of spiritual progress which
the Prophets have traced for us. He says: -- To
tamper with psychic forces while in this world interferes with the condition of
the soul in the world to come. These forces are real, but, normally, are not active
on this plane. The child in the womb has its eyes, ears, hands, feet, etc., but
they are not in activity. The whole purpose of life in the material world is the
coming forth into the world of Reality, where those forces will become active.
They belong to that world. (from Miss Buckton's notes, revised by Abdu'l-Baha). Intercourse
with spirits of the departed ought not to be sought for its own sake, nor in order
to gratify idle curiosity. It is both a privilege and duty, however, for those
on one side of the veil to love and help and pray for those on the other. Prayers
for the dead are enjoined on Bahá'ís. Abdu'l-Baha said to Miss E. J. Rosenberg
in 1904: "The grace of effective intercession is one of the perfections belonging
to advanced souls, as well as to the Manifestation of God. Jesus Christ had the
power of interceding for the forgiveness of His enemies when on earth, and He
certainly has this power now. Abdu'l-Baha never mentions the name of a dead person
without saying `May God forgive him!' or words to that effect. Followers of the
prophets have also this power of praying for the forgiveness of souls. Therefore
we may not think that any souls are condemned to a stationary condition of suffering
or loss arising from absolute ignorance of God. The power of effective intercession
for them always exists. ... "The
rich in the other world can help the poor, as the rich can help the poor here.
In every world all are the creatures of God. They are always dependent on Him.
They are not independent and can never be so. While they are needful of God, the
more they supplicate, the richer they become. What is their merchandise, their
wealth? In the other world what is help and assistance? It is intercession. Undeveloped
souls must gain progress at first through the supplications of the spiritually
rich; afterwards they can progress through their own supplications." Again
He says: -- "Those who have ascended have different attributes from those who
are still on earth, yet there is no real separation. "In
prayer there is a mingling of station, a mingling of condition. Pray for them
as they pray for you!" -- Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 97. Asked
whether it was possible through faith and love to bring the New Revelation to
the knowledge of those who have departed from this life without hearing of it,
Abdu'l-Baha replied: -- "Yes, surely! since sincere prayer always has its effect,
and it has a great influence in the other world. We are never cut off from those
who are there. The real and genuine influence is not in this world but in that
other." -- Notes of Mary Hanford Ford: Paris, 1911. On
the other hand, Baha'u'llah writes: -- He
who lives according to what is ordained for him -- the Celestial Concourse, and
the people of the Supreme Paradise, and those who are dwelling in the Dome of
Greatness will pray for him, by a Command from God, the Dearest and the praiseworthy.
(Tablet translated by Ali Kuli Khan).
When
Abdu'l-Baha was asked how it was that the heart often turns with instinctive appeal
to some friend who has passed into the next life, He answered: -- "It is a law
of God's creation that the weak should lean upon the strong. Those to whom you
turn may be mediators of God's power to you, even as when on earth. But it is
the One Holy Spirit that strengthens all men." -- Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 98.
The Nonexistence of Evil
According
to Bahá'í philosophy it follows from the doctrine of the unity of God that there
can be no such thing as positive evil. There can only be one Infinite. If there
were any other power in the universe outside of or opposed to the One, then the
One would not be infinite. Just as darkness is but the absence or lesser degree
of light, so evil is but the absence or lesser degree of good -- the undeveloped
state. A bad man is a man with the higher side of his nature still undeveloped.
If he is selfish, the evil is not in his love of self -- all love, even self-love,
is good, is divine. The evil is that he has such a poor, inadequate, misguided
love of self and such a lack of love for others and for God. He looks upon himself
as only a superior sort of animal, and foolishly pampers his lower nature as he
might pamper a pet dog -- with worse results in his own case than in that of the
dog. In
one of His letters Abdu'l-Baha says: -- As
to thy remark, that Abdu'l-Baha hath said to some of the believers that evil never
exists, nay rather, it is a nonexistent thing, this is but truth, inasmuch as
the greatest evil is man's going astray and being veiled from truth. Error is
lack of guidance; darkness is absence of light; ignorance is lack of knowledge;
falsehood is lack of truthfulness; blindness is lack of sight; and deafness is
lack of hearing. Therefore, error, blindness, deafness and ignorance are nonexistent
things.
Again He says: -- In
creation there is no evil; all is good. Certain qualities and natures innate in
some men and apparently blameworthy are not so in reality. For example, from the
beginning of his life you can see in a nursing child the signs of desire, of anger,
and of temper. Then, it may be said, good and evil are innate in the reality of
man, and this is contrary to the pure goodness of nature and creation. The answer
to this is that desire, which is to ask for something more, is a praiseworthy
quality provided that it is used suitably. So, if a man has the desire to acquire
science and knowledge, or to become compassionate, generous and just, it is most
praiseworthy. If he exercises his anger and wrath against the bloodthirsty tyrants
who are like ferocious beasts, it is very praiseworthy; but if he does not use
these qualities in a right way, they are blameworthy. ... ...
It is the same with all the natural qualities of man, which constitute the capital
of life; if they be used and displayed in an unlawful way, they become blameworthy.
Therefore it is clear that creation is purely good. -- Some Answered Questions,
pp. 250, 251. Evil
is always lack of life. If the lower side of man's nature is disproportionately
developed, the remedy is not less life for that side, but more life for the higher
side, so that the balance may be restored. "I am come," said Christ, "that ye
may have life and that ye may have it more abundantly." That is what we all need
-- life, more life, the life that is life indeed! Baha'u'llah's message is the
same as Christ's. "Today," He says, "this servant has assuredly come to vivify
the world" (Tablet to Ra'is), and to His followers He says: "Come ye after Me,
that We may make you to become quickeners of mankind." (Tablet to the Pope.)
Footnotes:
Page
182: 1.
This date coincides with the birth of Abdu'l-Baha. [back]
Page 186: 1.
(Pronounced Azkar). [back] 2. In connection
with the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar it is interesting to recall Tennyson's lines: --
I dreamed
That stone by stone I reared a sacred fane, A temple, neither Pagodo, Mosque nor
Church, But loftier, simpler, always open-doored To every breath from heaven,
and Truth and Peace And Love and Justice came and dwelt therein." Akbar's Dream,
1892 [back]
Page 187: 1. This first House of Worship was seriously damaged
in an earthquake in 1948 and had to be demolished some years later. [back]
2. This Temple was completed in 1953. Since then other Bahá'í
Temples have been constructed in Kampala, Uganda; Sydney, Australia; Frankfurt,
Germany; Panama City, Panama; and two more are being built in India and Samoa.
At the present time, 1979, sites for 123 others have been purchased. (See Epilogue)
[back]
Chapter 12
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter Twelve: Religion
and Science Ali,
the son-in-law of Muhammad, said: "That which is in conformity with science is
also in conformity with religion." Whatever the intelligence of man cannot understand,
religion ought not to accept. Religion and science walk hand in hand, and any
religion contrary to science is not the truth. -- ABDU'L-BAHA, Wisdom of Abdu'l-Baha.
Conflict Due to Error
One
of the fundamental teachings of Baha'u'llah is that true science and true religion
must always be in harmony. Truth is one, and whenever conflict appears it is due,
not to truth, but to error. Between so-called science and so-called religion there
have been fierce conflicts all down the ages, but looking back on these conflicts
in the light of fuller truth we can trace them every time to ignorance, prejudice,
vanity, greed, narrow-mindedness, intolerance, obstinacy or something of the kind
-- something foreign to the true spirit of both science and religion, for the
spirit of both is one. As Huxley tells us, "The great deeds of philosophers have
been less the fruit of their intellect than the direction of that intellect by
an eminently religious tone of mind. Truth has yielded herself rather to their
patience, their love, their single-heartedness and self-denial than to their logical
acumen." Boole, the mathematician, assures us that "geometric induction is essentially
a process of prayer -- an appeal from the finite mind to the Infinite for light
on finite concerns." The great prophets of religion and science have never denounced
each other. It is the unworthy followers of these great world teachers -- worshipers
of the letter but not of the spirit of their teaching -- who have always been
the persecutors of the later prophets and the bitterest opponents of progress.
They have studied the light of the particular revelation
which they hold sacred, and have defined its properties and peculiarities as seen
by their limited vision, with the utmost care and precision. That is for them
the one true light. If God in His infinite bounty sends fuller light from another
quarter, and the torch of inspiration burns brighter than before from a new torchholder,
instead of welcoming the new lights they are angry and alarmed. This new light
does not correspond with their definitions. It has not the orthodox color, and
does not shine from the orthodox place, therefore it must at all costs be extinguished
lest it lead men astray into the paths of heresy! Many enemies of the Prophets
are of this type -- blind leaders of the blind, who oppose new and fuller truth
in the supposed interests of what they believe to be the truth. Others are of
baser sort and are moved by selfish interests to fight against truth, or else
block the path of progress by reason of spiritual deadness and inertia.
Persecution of Prophets
The
great Prophets of religion have always been, at Their coming, despised and rejected
of men. Both They and Their early followers have given their backs to the smiters
and sacrificed their possessions and their lives in the path of God. Even in our
own times this has been so. Since 1844 A.D., many thousands of Babis and Bahá'ís
in Persia have suffered cruel deaths for their faith, and many more have borne
imprisonment, exile, poverty and degradation. The latest of the great religions
has been "baptized in blood" more than its predecessors, and martyrdoms have continued
down to the present day. With the prophets of science the same thing has happened.
Giordano Bruno was burned as a heretic in 1600 A.D. for teaching, amongst other
things, that the earth moved around the sun. A few years later the veteran philosopher
Galileo had to abjure the same doctrine on his knees in order to escape a similar
fate. In later times, Darwin and the pioneers of modern geology were vehemently
denounced for daring to dispute the teaching of Holy Writ that the world was made
in six days,
and less than six thousand years ago! The opposition to new scientific truth has
not all come from the Church, however. The orthodox in science have been just
as hostile to progress as the orthodox in religion. Columbus was laughed to scorn
by the so-called scientists of his day, who proved to their own satisfaction that
if ships did succeed in getting down to the Antipodes over the side of the globe,
it would be absolutely impossible for them to get up again! Galvani, the pioneer
of electrical science, was scoffed at by his learned colleagues, and called the
"frogs' dancing master." Harvey, who discovered the circulation of the blood,
was ridiculed and persecuted by his professional brethren on account of his heresy
and driven from his lecture chair. When Stephenson invented his locomotive engine,
European mathematicians of the time, instead of opening their eyes and studying
the facts, continued for years to prove to their own satisfaction that an engine
on smooth rails could never pull a load, as the wheels would simply slip round
and round and the train make no progress. To examples like these one might add
indefinitely, both from ancient and modern history, and even from our own times.
Dr. Zamenhof, the inventor of Esperanto, had to battle for his wonderful international
language against the same sort of ridicule, contempt, and stupid opposition which
greeted Columbus, Galvani, and Stephenson. Even Esperanto, which was given to
the world so recently as 1887, has had its martyrs.
The Dawn of Reconciliation
In
the last half century or so, however, a change has come over the spirit of the
times, a New Light of Truth has arisen which has already made the controversies
of last century seem strangely out of date. Where are now the boastful materialists
and dogmatic atheists who, only a few short years ago, were threatening to drive
religion out of the world? And where are the preachers who so confidently consigned
those who did not accept their dogmas to the fires of hell and the tortures of
the damned? Echoes of their clamor we may still hear, but their day is fast declining
and their doctrines are being discredited. We
can see now that the doctrines around which their controversies waxed most bitter
were neither true science nor true religion. What scientist in the light of modern
psychical research could still maintain that "brain secretes thought as the liver
secretes bile"? Or that decay of the body is necessarily accompanied by decay
of the soul? We now see that thought to be really free must soar to the realms
of psychical and spiritual phenomena and not be confined to the material only.
We realize that what we now know about nature is but as a drop in the ocean compared
with what remains to be discovered. We therefore freely admit the possibility
of miracles, not indeed in the sense of the breaking of nature's laws, but as
manifestations of the operation of subtle forces which are still unknown to us,
as electricity and X rays were to our ancestors. On the other hand, who amongst
our leading religious teachers would still declare it is necessary to salvation
to believe that the world was made in six days, or that the description of the
plagues in Egypt as given in the Book of Exodus is literally true, or that the
sun stood still in the heavens (that is, that the earth stopped its rotation)
to let Joshua pursue his enemies, or that if a man accept not the creed of St.
Athanasius, "without doubt he shall perish everlastingly"? Such beliefs may still
be repeated in form, but who accepts them in their literal sense and without reservation?
Their hold on people's hearts and minds has gone or is fast going. The religious
world owes a debt of gratitude to the men of science who helped to tear such worn-out
creeds and dogmas to tatters and allowed the truth to step forth free. But the
scientific world owes an even heavier debt to the real saints and mystics who,
through good report and ill, held to the vital truths of spiritual existence and
demonstrated to an incredulous world that the life is more than meat and the unseen
greater than the seen. these scientists and saints were like the mountain peaks
which caught the first rays of the rising sun and reflected them to the lower
world, but now the sun has risen and its rays are illuminating the world. In the
teachings of Baha'u'llah we have a glorious revelation of truth which satisfies
both heart and mind, in which religion and science are at one. Search
after Truth
Complete
harmony with science is evident in the Bahá'í teachings regarding the way in which
we must seek the truth. Man must cut himself free from all prejudice so that he
may search after truth unhindered. Abdu'l-Baha
says: -- In
order to find truth we must give up our prejudices, our own small trivial notions;
an open receptive mind is essential. If our chalice is full of self, there is
no room in it for the water of life. The fact that we imagine ourselves to be
right and everybody else wrong is the greatest of all obstacles in the path towards
unity, and unity is essential if we would reach Truth, for Truth is one. ... No
one truth can contradict another truth. Light is good in whatsoever lamp it is
burning! A rose is beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom! A star has the
same radiance if it shines from the East or from the West! Be free from prejudice;
so will you love the Sun of Truth from whatever point in the horizon it may arise.
You will realize that if the Divine Light of Truth shone in Jesus Christ, it also
shone in Moses and Buddha. This is what is meant by the search after truth. It
also means that we must be willing to clear away all that we have previously learned,
all that would clog our steps on the way to Truth; we must not shrink, if necessary,
from beginning our education all over again. We must not allow our love for any
one religion or any one personality so to blind our eyes that we become fettered
by superstition. When we are freed from all these bonds, seeking with liberal
minds, then shall we be able to arrive at our goal.
Agnosticism
The
Bahá'í teaching is at one with science and philosophy in declaring the essential
nature of God to be entirely beyond human comprehension. As emphatically as Thomas
Huxley and Herbert Spencer teach that the nature of the Great First Cause is unknowable,
does Baha'u'llah teach that "God comprehends all; He cannot be comprehended."
To knowledge of the Divine essence "the way is barred and road is impassable,"
for how can the finite comprehend the Infinite; how can a drop contain the ocean
or a mote dancing in the sunbeam embrace the universe? Yet the whole universe
is eloquent of God. In each drop of water are hidden oceans of meaning, and in
each mote is concealed a whole universe of significances, reaching far beyond
the ken of the most learned scientist. The chemist and physicist pursuing their
researches into the nature of matter have passed from masses to molecules, from
molecules to atoms, from atoms to electrons and ether, but at every step the difficulties
of the research increase till the most profound intellect can penetrate no farther,
and can but bow in silent awe before the unknown Infinite which remains ever shrouded
in inscrutable mystery. Flower
in the crannied wall, I pluck you out of the crannies. I hold you here, root
and all, in my hand, Little flower -- but if I could understand What you are,
root and all, and all in all, I should know what God and man is. -- TENNYSON.
If
the flower in the crannied wall, if even a single atom of matter, present mysteries
which the most profound intellect cannot solve, how is it possible for man to
comprehend the universe? How dare he pretend to define or describe the Infinite
cause of all things? All theological speculations about the nature of God's essence
are thus swept aside as foolish and futile.
Knowledge
of God
But
if the essence is unknowable, the manifestations of its bounty are everywhere
apparent. If the first cause cannot be conceived, its effects appeal to our every
faculty. Just as knowledge of a painter's pictures gives to the connoisseur a
true knowledge of the artist, so knowledge of the universe in any of its aspects
-- knowledge of nature or of human nature, of things visible or of things invisible
-- is knowledge of God's handiwork, and gives to the seeker for Divine truth a
real knowledge of His Glory. "The Heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament
sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth
knowledge. -- Ps. xix, 1-2.
The Divine
Manifestations
All
things manifest the bounty of God with greater or less clearness, as all material
objects exposed to the sun reflect its light in greater or less degree. A heap
of soot reflects a little, a stone reflects more, a piece of chalk more still,
but in none of these reflections can we trace the form and color of the glorious
orb. A perfect mirror, however, reflects the sun's very form and color, so that
looking into it is like looking at the sun itself. So it is with the way in which
things speak to us of God. The stone can tell us something of the Divine attributes,
the flower can tell us more, the animal with its marvelous senses, instincts and
power of movement, more still. In the lowest of our fellowmen we can trace wonderful
faculties which tell of a wonderful Creator. In the poet, the saint, the genius,
we find a higher revelation still, but the great Prophets and Founders of religions
are the perfect mirrors by which the love and wisdom of God are reflected to the
rest of mankind. Other men's mirrors are dulled by the stains and the dust of
selfishness and prejudice, but these are pure and without blemish -- wholly devoted
to the Will of God. Thus They become the greatest educators of mankind. The Divine
teachings and the Power of the Holy Spirit proceeding through Them have been and
are the cause of the progress of humanity, for God helps men through other men.
Each man who is higher in the ascent of life is the means of helping those who
are lower, and those who are the highest of all are the helpers of all mankind.
It is as if all men were connected together by elastic cords. If a man rises a
little above the general level of his fellows, the cords tighten. His former companions
tend to draw him back, but with an equal force he draws them upwards. The higher
he gets, the more he feels the weight of the whole world pulling him back, and
the more dependent he is on the divine support, which reaches him through the
few who are still above him. Highest of all are the great Prophets and Saviors,
the Divine "Manifestations" -- those perfect men Who were each, in Their day,
without peer or companion, and bore the burden of the whole world, supported by
God alone. "The burden of our sins was upon Him: was true of each of Them. Each
was the "Way, the Truth and the Life" to His followers. Each was the channel of
God's bounty to every heart that would receive it. Each had His part to play in
the great divine plan for the upliftment of humanity.
Creation
Baha'u'llah
teaches that the universe is without beginning in time. It is a perpetual emanation
from the Great First Cause. The Creator always had His creation and always will
have. Worlds and systems may come and go, but the universe remains. All things
that undergo composition, in time undergo decomposition, but the component elements
remain. The creation of a world, a daisy or a human body is not "making something
out of nothing"; it is rather a bringing together of elements which before were
scattered, a making visible of something which before was hidden. By and by the
elements will again be scattered, the form will disappear, but nothing is really
lost or annihilated; ever new combinations and forms arise from the ruins of the
old. Baha'u'llah confirms the scientists who claim, not six thousand, but millions
and billions of years for the history of the earth's creation. The evolution theory
does not deny creative power. It only tries to describe the method of its manifestation;
and the wonderful story of the material universe which the astronomer, the geologist,
the physicist and the biologist are gradually unfolding to our gaze is, rightly
appreciated, far more capable of evoking the deepest reverence and worship than
the crude and bald account of creation given in the Hebrew Scriptures. The old
account in the Book of Genesis had, however, the advantage of indicating by a
few bold strokes of symbolism the essential spiritual meanings of the story, as
a master painter may, by a few strokes of the brush, convey expressions which
the mere plodder with the most laborious attention to details may utterly fail
to portray. If the material details blind us to the spiritual meaning, then we
should be better without them; but if we have once firmly grasped the essential
meaning of the whole scheme, then knowledge of the details will give our conception
a wonderful added richness and splendor and make it a magnificent picture instead
of a mere sketch plan. Abdu'l-Baha says: -- Know
that it is one of the most abstruse spiritual truths that the world of existence,
that is to say this endless universe, has no beginning. ... ... Know that
... a creator without a creature is impossible, a provider without those provided
for cannot be conceived; for all the divine names and attributes demand the existence
of beings. If we could imagine a time when no beings existed, this imagination
would be the denial of the Divinity of God. Moreover, absolute non-existence cannot
become existence. If the beings were absolutely non-existent, existence would
not have come into being. Therefore, as the Essence of Unity, that is the existence
of God, is everlasting and eternal -- that is to say, it has neither beginning
nor end -- it is certain that this world of existence ... has neither beginning
nor end. ... it may be that one of the parts of the universe, one of the globes,
for example, may come into existence, or may be disintegrated, but the other endless
globes are still existing. ... As each globe has a beginning, necessarily
it has an end, because every composition, collective or particular, must of necessity
be decomposed; the only difference is that some are quickly decomposed, and others
more slowly, but it is impossible that a composed thing should not eventually
be decomposed. -- Some Answered Questions, pp. 209-210. The
Evolution of Man
Baha'u'llah
also confirms the biologist who finds for the body of
man a history reaching back in the development of the
species through millions of years. Starting from a very
simple, apparently insignificant form, the human body
is pictured as developing stage by stage, in the course
of untold generations, becoming more and more complex,
and better and better organized until the man of the
present day is reached. Each individual human body develops
through such a series of stages, from a tiny round speck
of jelly-like matter to the fully developed man. If
this is true of the individual, as nobody denies, why
should we consider it derogatory to human dignity to
admit a similar development for the species? This is
a very different thing from claiming that man is descended
from a monkey. The human embryo may at one time resemble
a fish with gill-slits and tail, but it is not a fish.
It is a human embryo. So the human species1
may at various stages of its long development have resembled to the outward eye
various species of lower animals, but it was still the human species, possessing
the mysterious latent power of developing into man as we know him today, nay more,
of developing in the future, we trust, into something far higher still. Abdu'l-Baha
says: -- ...
it is clear that this terrestrial globe in its present form did not come into
existence all at once; but ... gradually passed through different phases until
it became adorned with its present perfection. ... ... man, in the beginning
of his existence and in the womb of the earth, like the embryo in the womb of
the mother, gradually grew and developed, and passed from one form to another
... until he appeared with this beauty and perfection, this force and this power.
It is certain that in the beginning he had not this loveliness and grace and elegance,
and that he only by degrees attained this shape, this form, this beauty, and this
grace. ... ... man's existence on this earth, from the beginning until it
reaches this state, form, and condition, necessarily lasts a long time. ... But
from the beginning of man's existence he is a distinct species. ... admitting
that the traces of organs which have disappeared actually exist [in the human
body], this is not a proof of the impermanence and the non-originality of the
species. At the most it proves that the form, and fashion, and the organs of man
have progressed. Man was always a distinct species, a man, not an animal. -- Some
Answered Questions, pp. 211, 212, 213, 214. Of
the story of Adam and Eve He says: -- If
we take this story in its apparent meaning, according to the interpretation of
the masses, it is indeed extraordinary. The intelligence cannot accept it, affirm
it, or imagine it; for such arrangements, such details, such speeches and reproaches
are far from being those of an intelligent man, how much less of the Divinity
-- that Divinity who has organised this infinite universe in the most perfect
form, and its innumerable inhabitants with absolute system, strength, and perfection.
... Therefore
this story of Adam and Eve who ate from the tree, and their expulsion from Paradise,
must be thought of simply as a symbol. It contains divine mysteries and universal
meanings, and it is capable of marvellous explanations. -- Some Answered Questions,
p. 140
Body and Soul
The
Bahá'í teachings with regard to body and soul, and the life after death, are quite
in harmony with the results of psychical research. They teach, as we have seen,
that death is but a new birth -- the escape from the prison of the body into a
larger life, and that progress in the afterlife is limitless. A
large body of scientific evidence has gradually been accumulating
which in the opinion of impartial but highly critical investigators is amply sufficient
to establish beyond all question the fact of a life after death -- of the continued
life and activity of the conscious "soul" after the dissolution of the material
body. As F. W. H. Myers says in his Human Personality, a work which summarizes
many of the investigations of the Psychical Research Society: -- Observation,
experiment, inference, have led many inquirers, of whom I am one, to a belief
in direct or telepathic intercommunication, not between the minds of men still
on earth only, but between minds or spirits still on earth and spirits departed.
Such a discovery opens the doors also to revelation. ... We
have shown that amid much deception and self-deception, fraud and illusion, veritable
manifestations do reach us from beyond the grave. ... By
discovery and by revelation certain theses have been provisionally established
with regard to such departed souls as we have been able to encounter. First and
chiefly, I, at least, see ground to believe that their state is one of endless
evolution in wisdom and in love. Their loves of earth persist, and most of all,
those highest loves which find their outlet in adoration and worship. ... Evil
to them seems less a terrible than a slavish thing. It is embodied in no mighty
Potentate; rather it forms as isolating madness from which higher spirits strive
to free the distorted soul. There needs no chastisement of fire; self-knowledge
is man's punishment and his reward; self-knowledge and the nearness or the aloofness
of companion souls. For in that world love is actually self-preservation; the
Communion of Saints not only adorns but constitutes the Life Everlasting. nay,
from the laws of telepathy it follows that that communion is valid to us here
and now. Even now the love of souls departed makes answer to our invocations.
Even now our loving memory -- love is itself a prayer -- supports and strengthens
those delivered spirits upon their upward way. The
measure of agreement between this view, which is founded on careful scientific
research, and that of the Bahá'í teachings, is truly remarkable.
Unity of Mankind
"Ye
are all fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch, the flowers of one garden."
That is one of the most characteristic sayings of Baha'u'llah, and another is
like it: "Glory is not his who loves his own country, but glory is his who loves
his kind." Unity -- unity of mankind, and of all created beings in God -- is the
main theme of His teaching. Here again the harmony between true religion and science
is evident. With every advance in science the oneness of the universe and the
interdependence of its parts has become more clearly evident. The astronomer's
domain is inseparably bound up with physicist's, and the physicist's with the
chemist's, the chemist's with the biologist's, the biologist's with the psychologist's,
and so on. Every new discovery in one field of research throws new light on other
fields. Just as physical science has shown that every particle of matter in the
universe attracts and influences every other particle, no matter how minute or
how distant, so psychical science is finding that every soul in the universe affects
and influences every other soul. Prince Kropotkin, in his book on Mutual Aid,
shows most clearly that even among the lower animals, mutual aid is absolutely
necessary to continued life, while in the case of man, the progress of civilization
depends on the increasing substitution of mutual aid for mutual enmity. "Each
for all and all for each" is the only principle on which a community can prosper.
The Era of Unity
All
the signs of the times indicate that we are at the dawn of a new era in the history
of mankind. Hitherto the young eagle of humanity has clung to the old aerie in
the solid rock of selfishness and materialism. Its attempts to use its wings have
been timid and tentative. It has had restless longings for something still unattained.
More and more it has been chafing in the confinement of the old dogmas and orthodoxies.
But now the era of confinement is at an end, and it can launch on the wings of
faith and reason into the higher realms of spiritual love and truth. It will no
longer be earthbound as it was before its wings had grown, but will soar at will
to the regions of wide outlook and glorious freedom. One thing is necessary, however,
if its flight is to be sure and steady. Its wings must not only be strong, but
they must act in perfect harmony and coordination. As Abdu'l-Baha says: -- "It
cannot fly with one wing alone. If it tries to fly with the wing of religion alone
it will land in the slough of superstition, and if it tries to fly with the wing
of science alone it will end in the dreary bog of materialism." Perfect
harmony between religion and science is the sine qua non of the higher life for
humanity. When that is achieved, and every child is trained not only in the study
of the sciences, and arts, but equally in love to all mankind and in radiant acquiescence
to the Will of God as revealed in the progress of evolution and the teachings
of the Prophets, then and not till then, shall the Kingdom of God come and His
Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; then and not till then shall the Most
Great Peace shed its blessings on the world. "When
religion," says Abdu'l-Baha, "shorn of its superstitions, traditions and unintelligent
dogmas, shows its conformity with science, then there will be a great unifying,
cleansing force in the world, which will sweep before it all wars, disagreements,
discords and struggles, and then will mankind be united in the power of the love
of God."
Footnotes:
Page
206: 1.
The word "species" is used here to explain the distinction which has always existed
between men and animals, despite outward appearances. It should not be read with
its current specialized biological meaning. [back]
Chapter 13
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Chapter Thirteen: Prophecies
Fulfilled by the Bahá'í Movement As
to the Manifestation of the Greatest Name (Baha'u'llah): this is He Whom God promised
in all His Books and Scriptures, such as the Bible, the Gospels and the Qur'an.
-- ABDU'L-BAHA.
Interpretation
of Prophecy
The
interpretation of prophecy is notoriously difficult, and on no subject do the
opinions of the learned differ more widely. This is not to be wondered at, for,
according to the revealed writings themselves, many of the prophecies were given
in such a form that they could not be fully understood until the fulfillment came,
and even then, only by those who were pure in heart and free from prejudice. Thus
at the end of Daniel's visions the seer was told: -- But
thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the
end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. ... And I heard,
but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the
time of the end. -- Daniel xii, 4-9. If
God sealed up the prophecies until the appointed time, and did not fully reveal
the interpretation even to the prophets who uttered them, we may expect that none
but the appointed Messenger of God will be able to break the seal and disclose
the meanings concealed in the casket of the prophetic parables. Reflection on
the history of prophecies and their misinterpretation in previous ages and dispensations,
combined with the
solemn warnings of the prophets themselves, should render us very chary of accepting
the speculations of theologians as to the real meaning of these utterances and
the manner of their fulfillment. On the other hand, when someone appears who claims
to fulfill the prophecies, it is important that we examine his claim with open,
unprejudiced minds. Should he be an impostor, the fraud will soon be discovered
and no harm will be done, but woe to all who carelessly turn God's Messenger from
the door because He comes in an unexpected form or time. The
life and utterances of Baha'u'llah testify that He is the Promised One of all
the Holy Books, Who has the power to break the seals of the prophecies and to
pour forth the "Sealed choice wine" of the divine mysteries. Let us hasten, then,
to hear His explanations and to reexamine in their light the familiar but often
mysterious words spoken by the prophets of old.
The
Coming of the Lord
The
"Coming of the Lord" in the "last days" is the one "far-off divine event" to which
all the Prophets look forward, about which Their most glorious songs are sung.
Now what is meant by the "Coming of the Lord"? Surely God is at all times with
His creatures, in all, through all, and over all; "Closer is He than breathing,
nearer than hands and feet." Yes, but men cannot see or hear God immanent and
transcendent, cannot realize His Presence, until He reveals Himself through a
visible form and talks to them in human language. For the revelation of His higher
attributes, God has always made use of a human instrument. Each of the Prophets
was a mediator through whom God visited and spoke to His people. Jesus was such
a mediator, and the Christians have rightly regarded His appearance as a coming
of God. In Him they saw the Face of God and through His lips they heard the Voice
of God. Baha'u'llah tells us that the "Coming" of the Lord of Hosts, the Everlasting
Father, the Maker and Redeemer of the World, which, according to all the Prophets,
is to take place at "the time of the end," means no other than His manifestation
in a
human temple, as he manifested through the temple of Jesus of Nazareth, only this
time with a fuller and more glorious revelation, for which Jesus and all the former
Prophets came to prepare men's hearts and minds.
Prophecies
about Christ
Through
failing to understand the meaning of the prophecies about the dominion of the
Messiah, the Jews rejected Christ. Abdu'l-Baha says: -- The
Jews still await the coming of the Messiah, and pray to God day and night to hasten
His advent. When Jesus came they denounced and slew Him, saying: "This is not
the One for Whom we wait. Behold, when the Messiah shall come, signs and wonders
shall testify that He is in truth the Christ. The Messiah will arise out of an
unknown city. He shall sit upon the throne of David, and behold, He shall come
with a sword of steel, and with a scepter of iron shall He rule. He shall fulfill
the Law of the Prophets. He shall conquer the East and the West, and shall glorify
His chosen people the Jews. He shall bring with Him a reign of Peace during which
even the animals shall cease to be at enmity with man. For behold, the wolf and
the lamb shall drink from the same spring ... and all God's creatures shall be
at rest. ..." Thus
the Jews thought and spoke, for they did not understand the Scriptures nor the
glorious truths that were contained in them. The letter they knew by heart, but
of the life-giving Spirit they understood not a word. Hearken,
and I will show you the meaning thereof: Although Christ came from Nazareth, which
was a known place, He came also from heaven. His body was born of Mary, but His
Spirit came from heaven. The sword He carried was the sword of His tongue, with
which He divided the good from the evil, the true from the false, the faithful
from the unfaithful, and the light from the darkness. His Word was indeed a sharp
sword! The throne
upon which He sat is the Eternal Throne from which Christ reigns forever, a heavenly
throne, not an earthly one, for the things of earth pass away but heavenly things
pass not away. He reinterpreted and completed the Laws of Moses and fulfilled
the Law of the Prophets. His Word conquered the East and the West. His kingdom
is everlasting. He exalted those Jews who recognized Him. They were men and women
of humble birth, but contact with Him made them great and gave them everlasting
dignity. The animals who were to live with one another signified the different
sects and races, who, once having been at war, were now to dwell in love and charity,
drinking together the Water of Life from Christ the Eternal Spring.
Most Christians accept these interpretations of Messianic prophecies as applied
to Christ; but with regard to similar prophecies about the latter-day Messiah,
many of them take up the same attitude as the Jews, expecting a miraculous display
on the material plane which will fulfill the very letter of the prophecies.
Prophecies about the Bab and Baha'u'llah
According
to the Bahá'í interpretations, the prophecies which speak of "the time of the
end," the "last days," the coming of the "Lord of hosts," of the "everlasting
Father," refer especially, not to the advent of Jesus Christ, but to that of Baha'u'llah.
Take, for instance, the well-known prophecy in Isaiah: -- The
people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the
land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. ... For thou hast
broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor,
as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise,
and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son
is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be
called Wonderful, Counsellor, The might God, The everlasting Father, The Prince
of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon
the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with
judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord
of hosts will perform this. -- Isa. ix, 2-7.
This
is one of the prophecies that has often been regarded
as referring to Christ, and must of it may quite fairly
be thus applied, but a little examination will show
how much more fully and aptly it applies to Baha'u'llah.
Christ has, indeed, been a light-bringer and Savior,
but for nearly two thousand years since His advent the
great majority of the people of the earth have continued
to walk in darkness, and the children of Israel and
many other of God's children have continued to groan
under the rod of the oppressor. On the other hand, during
the first few decades of the Bahá'í era,
the light of truth has illumined the East and the West,
the gospel of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood
of man has been carried into all countries of the world,
the great military autocracies have been overthrown,
and a consciousness of world unity has been born which
brings hope of eventual relief to all the downtrodden
and oppressed nationalities of the world. The great
war which from 1914 to 1918 convulsed the world, with
its unprecedented use of firearms, liquid fire, incendiary
bombs and fuel for engines, has indeed been "with burning
and fuel of fire."1
Baha'u'llah, by dealing at great length in His Writings
with questions of government and administration, and
showing how they may best be solved, has "taken the
government upon His shoulders" in a way that Christ
never did. With regard to the titles "everlasting Father,"
"Prince of Peace," Baha'u'llah repeatedly refers to
Himself as the manifestation of the Father, of whom
Christ and Isaiah spoke, whereas Christ always referred
to Himself as the Son; and Baha'u'llah declares that
His mission is to establish peace on earth, while Christ
said: "I came not to send peace but a sword," and as
a matter of fact during the whole of the Christian era
wars and sectarian strifes have abounded.
The
Glory of God
The title
"Baha'u'llah" is the Arabic for "Glory of God," and this very title is frequently
used by the Hebrew prophets for the Promised One Who is to appear in the last
days. Thus in the 40th chapter of Isaiah we read: -- Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and
cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned:
for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of
him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight
in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every
mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and
the rough places plain: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together. Isa. xl, 1-5. Like
the former prophecy, this has also been partly fulfilled in the advent of Christ
and His forerunner, John the Baptist; but only partly, for in the days of Christ
the warfare of Jerusalem was not accomplished; many centuries of bitter trail
and humiliation were yet in store for her. With the advent of the Bab and Baha'u'llah,
however, the more complete fulfillment dawned for Jerusalem, and her prospects
of a peaceful and glorious future seem now to be reasonably assured. Other
prophecies speak of the Redeemer of Israel, the Glory of the Lord, as coming to
the Holy Land from the East, from the rising of the sun. Now Baha'u'llah appeared
in Persia, which is eastward from Palestine, towards the rising of the sun, and
He came to the Holy Land, where He spent the last twenty-four
years of His life. Had He come there as a free man, people might have said that
it was the trick of an impostor in order to conform to the prophecies; but He
came as an exile and prisoner. He was sent there by the Shah of Persia and the
Sultan of Turkey, who can hardly be suspected of any design to furnish arguments
in favor of Baha'u'llah's claim to be the "Glory of God" Whose coming the Prophets
foretold.
The
Branch
In the prophecies
of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Zechariah are several references to a man called
the Branch. These have often been taken by Christians as applying to Christ, but
are regarded by Bahá'ís as referring especially to Baha'u'llah. The
longest Bible prophecy about the Branch is in the 11th chapter of Isaiah: -- And
there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow
out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of
wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge
and of the fear of the Lord. ... righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins,
and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard ... with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; and a little child shall lead them. ... They shall not hurt nor destroy
in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea. ... And it shall come to pass in that day, that the
Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people,
which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from
Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of
the sea. And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the
outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners
of the earth. -- Isa. xi, 1-12. Abdu'l-Baha
remarks about this and other prophecies of the Branch: -- One
of the great events which is to occur in the day of the manifestation of that
incomparable Branch, is the hoisting of the Standard of God among all nations;
meaning that all the nations and tribes will come under the shadow of this Divine
Banner, which is no other than the Lordly Branch itself, and will become a single
nation. The antagonism of faiths and religions, the hostility of races and peoples,
and the national differences, will be eradicated from amongst them. All will become
one religion, one faith, one race, and one single people, and will dwell in one
native land, which is the terrestrial globe. Universal peace and concord will
be realised between all the nations, and that incomparable Branch will gather
together all Israel: signifying that in this cycle Israel will be gathered in
the Holy Land, and that the Jewish people who are scattered to the East and West,
South and North, will be assembled together. Now
see: these events did not take place in the Christian cycle, for the nations did
not come under the One Standard which is the Divine Branch. But in this cycle
of the Lord of Hosts all the nations and people will enter under the shadow of
this Flag. In the same way, Israel, scattered all over the world, was not reassembled
in the Holy Land in the Christian cycle; but in the beginning of the cycle of
Baha'u'llah this divine promise, as is clearly stated in all the Books of the
Prophets, has begun to be manifest. You can see that form all the parts of the
world tribes of Jews are coming to the Holy Land; they live in villages and lands
which they make their own, and day by day they are increasing to such an extent,
that all Palestine will become their home. -- Some Answered Questions, p. 75-76.
The Day of
God
The word
"Day" in such phrases as "Day of God" and "Last Day" is interpreted as meaning
"Dispensation." Each of the
great religion-founders has His "Day." Each is like a sun. His teachings have
their dawn, their truth gradually illumines more and more the minds and hearts
of the people until they attain the zenith of their influence. Then they gradually
become obscured, misrepresented and corrupted, and darkness overshadows the earth
until the sun of a new day arises. The day of the Supreme Manifestation of God
is the Last Day, because it is a day that shall never end, and shall not be overtaken
by night. His sun shall never set, but shall illumine the souls of men both in
this world and in the world to come. In reality none of the spiritual suns ever
set. The suns of Moses, of Christ, of Muhammad, and all the other Prophets are
still shining in heaven with undiminished luster. But earthborn clouds have concealed
their radiance from the people of earth. The Supreme Sun of Baha'u'llah will finally
disperse these dark clouds, so that the people of all religions will rejoice in
the light of all the Prophets, and with one accord worship the one God Whose light
all the Prophets have mirrored forth.
The
Day of Judgment
Christ spoke
much in parables about a great Day of Judgment when "the Son of man shall come
in the glory of his Father ... and ... shall reward every man according to his
works" (Matt. xvi, 27). He compares this Day to the time of harvest, when the
tares are burned and the wheat gathered into barns: -- ...
so shall it be in the end of this world [consummation of the age]. The Son of
man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all
things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace
of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous
shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. -- Matt. xiii, 40-43. The
phrase "end of the world" used in the Authorized Version of the Bible in this
and similar passages has led many to suppose that when the Day of Judgment comes,
the earth will suddenly be destroyed, but this is evidently a mistake. The
true translation of the phrase appears to be "the consummation or end of the age."
Christ teaches that the Kingdom of the Father is to be established on earth, as
well as in heaven. He teaches us to pray: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven." In the parable of the Vineyard, when the Father,
the Lord of the Vineyard, comes to destroy the wicked husbandmen, He does not
destroy the vineyard (the world) also, but lets it out to other husbandmen, who
will render Him the fruits in their season. The earth is not to be destroyed,
but to be renewed and regenerated. Christ speaks of that day on another occasion
as "the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory."
St. Peter speaks of it as "the times of refreshing," "the times of restitution
of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since
the world began." The Day of Judgment of which Christ speaks is evidently identical
with the coming of the Lord of Hosts, the Father, which was prophesied by Isaiah
and the other Old Testament prophets; a time of terrible punishment for the wicked,
but a time in which justice shall be established and righteousness rule, on earth
as in heaven. In
the Bahá'í interpretation, the coming of each Manifestation of God is a Day of
Judgment, but the coming of the supreme Manifestation of Baha'u'llah is the great
Day of Judgment for the world cycle in which we are living. The trumpet blast
of which Christ and Muhammad and many other prophets speak is the call of the
Manifestation, which is sounded for all who are in heaven and on earth -- the
embodied and the disembodied. The meeting with God, through His Manifestation,
is, for those who desire to meet Him, the gateway to the Paradise of knowing and
loving Him, and living in love with all His creatures. Those, on the other hand,
who prefer their own way to God's way, as revealed by the Manifestation, thereby
consign themselves to the hell of selfishness, error and enmity.
The
Great Resurrection
The
Day of Judgment is also the Day of Resurrection, of the raising of the dead. St.
Paul in his First Epistle to the Corinthians says: -- Behold,
I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In
a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall
sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For
this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
-- I Cor. xv, 51-53. As
to the meaning of these passages about the raising of the dead, Baha'u'llah writes
in the Book of Iqan: -- ...
By the terms "life" and "death," spoken of in the scriptures, is intended the
life of faith and the death of unbelief. The generality of the people, owing to
their failure to grasp the meaning of these words, rejected and despised the person
of the Manifestation, deprived themselves of the light of His divine guidance,
and refused to follow the example of that immortal Beauty. ... ...
Even as Jesus said: "Ye must be born again" [John iii, 7]. Again He saith: "Except
a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of
God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit
is spirit" [John iii, 5-6]. The purpose of these words is that whosoever in every
dispensation is born of the Spirit and is quickened by the breath of the Manifestation
of Holiness, he verily is of those that have attained unto "life" and "resurrection"
and have entered into the "paradise" of the love of God. And whosoever is not
of them, is condemned to "death" and "deprivation," to the "fire" of unbelief,
and to the "wrath" of God. ... In
every age and century, the purpose of the Prophets of God and their chosen ones
hath been no other but to affirm the spiritual significance of the terms "life,"
"resurrection," and "judgment." ... Wert thou to attain to but a dewdrop of the
crystal waters of divine knowledge, thou wouldst readily realize that true life
is not the life of the flesh but the life of the spirit. For the life of the flesh
is common to both men and animals, whereas the life of
the spirit is possessed only by the pure in heart who have quaffed from the ocean
of faith and partaken of the fruit of certitude. This life knoweth no death, and
this existence is crowned by immortality. Even as it hath been said: "He who is
a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come." If by "life"
be meant this earthly life, it is evident that death must needs overtake it. --
Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 114, 118, 120-21. According
to the Bahá'í teaching the Resurrection has nothing to do with the gross physical
body. That body, once dead, is done with. It becomes decomposed and its atoms
will never be recomposed into the same body. Resurrection
is the birth of the individual to spiritual life, through the gift of the Holy
Spirit bestowed through the Manifestation of God. The grave from which he arises
is the grave of ignorance and negligence of God. The sleep from which he awakens
is the dormant spiritual condition in which many await the dawn of the Day of
God. This dawn illumines all who have lived on the face of the earth, whether
they are in the body or out of the body, but those who are spiritually blind cannot
perceive it. The Day of Resurrection is not a day of twenty-four hours, but an
era which has now begun and will last as long as the present world cycle continues.
It will continue when all traces of the present civilization will have been wiped
off the surface of the globe.
Return of Christ
In many of His conversations
Christ speaks of the future Manifestation of God in the third person, but in others
the first person is used. He says: "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I
go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself"
(John xiv, 2-3). In the first chapter of Acts we read that the disciples were
told, at the ascension of Jesus: "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
Because of these and similar sayings, many
Christians expect that when the Son of Man comes "in the clouds of heaven and
with great glory" they shall see in bodily form the very Jesus Who walked the
streets of Jerusalem two thousand years ago, and bled and suffered on the cross.
They expect to be able to thrust their fingers into the prints of the nails on
His hands and feet, and their hands into the spear wound in His side. But surely
a little reflection on Christ's own words would dissipate such an idea. The Jews
of Christ's time had just such ideas about the return of Elias, but Jesus explained
their error, showing that the prophecy that "Elias must first come" was fulfilled,
not by the return of the person and body of the former Elias, but in the person
of John the Baptist, who came "in the spirit and power of Elias." "And if ye will
receive it," said Christ, "this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath
ears to hear, let him hear." The "return" of Elias, therefore, meant the appearance
of another person, born of other parents, but inspired by God with the same spirit
and power. These words of Jesus may surely be taken to imply that the return of
Christ will, in like manner, be accomplished by the appearance of another person,
born of another mother, but showing forth the Spirit and Power of God even as
Christ did. Baha'u'llah explains that the "coming again" of Christ was fulfilled
in the advent of the Bab and in his own coming. He says: -- Consider
the sun. Were it to say now, "I am the sun of yesterday," it would speak the truth.
And should it, bearing the sequence of time in mind, claim to be other than that
sun, it still would speak the truth. In like manner, if it be said that all the
days are but one and the same, it is correct and true. And if it be said, with
respect to their particular names and designations, that they differ, that again
is true. For though they are the same, yet one doth recognize in each a separate
designation, a specific attribute, a particular character. Conceive accordingly
the distinction, variation, and unity characteristic of the various Manifestations
of holiness, that thou mayest comprehend the allusions made by the creator of
all
names and attributes to the mysteries of distinction and unity, and discover the
answer to thy question as to why that everlasting Beauty should have, at sundry
times, called Himself by different names and titles. -- Kitab-i-Iqan, 21-22.
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- Know
that the return of Christ for a second time doth not mean what the people believe,
but rather signifieth the One promised to come after Him. He shall come with the
Kingdom of God and His Power which hath surrounded the world. This dominion is
in the world of hearts and spirits, and not in that of matter; for the material
world is not comparable to a single wing of a fly, in the sight of the Lord, wert
thou of those who know! Verily Christ came with His Kingdom from the beginning
which hath no beginning, and will come with His Kingdom to the eternity of eternities,
inasmuch as in this sense "Christ" is an expression of the Divine Reality, the
simple Essence and heavenly Entity, which hath no beginning nor ending. It hath
appearance, arising, manifestation and setting in each of the cycles.
The Time of
the End
Christ and
His apostles mentioned many signs which would distinguish the times of the "Return"
of the Son of Man in the glory of the Father. Christ said: -- And
when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation
thereof is nigh. ... For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which
are written may be fulfilled. ... for there shall be great distress in the land,
and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down
by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles shall be fulfilled. -- Luke xxi,
20-24.
Again He said: -- Take
heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that
ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not
yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there
shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these
are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted,
and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And
then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one
another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure
unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be
preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come. -- Matt. xxiv, 4-14. In
these two passages Christ foretold in plain terms, without veil or covering, the
things that must come to pass before the coming of the Son of Man. During the
centuries that have elapsed since Christ spoke, every one of these signs has been
fulfilled. In the last part of each passage He mentions an event that shall mark
the time of the coming -- in one case the ending of the Jewish exile and the restoration
of Jerusalem, and in the other the preaching of the gospel in all the world. It
is startling to find that both of these signs are being literally fulfilled in
our own times. If these parts of the prophecy are as true as the rest, it follows
that we must be living now in the "time of the end" of which Christ spoke. Muhammad
also mentions certain signs which will persist until the Day of Resurrection.
In the Qur'an we read: -- When
Allah said: "O Jesus! Verily I will cause thee to die, and exalt thee towards
Me, and clear thee of the charges of those who disbelieve, and will place those
who follow thee [that is, Christians] above those who disbelieve [Jews and others],
until the Day of Resurrection; then to Me shall be your return, so I will decide
between you concerning that in which you differed." -- Sura iii, 54. "The
Hand of God," say the Jews, "is chained up." Their own hands shall be chained
up -- and for that which they have said shall they be cursed. Nay! outstretched
are both His hands! At His own pleasure doth He bestow gifts. That which hath
been sent down to thee from thy Lord will surely increase the rebellion and unbelief
of many of them; and We have put enmity and hatred between them that shall last
until the Day of Resurrection. Oft as they kindle a beacon fire for war shall
God quench it. -- Sura v, 69. And
of those who say, "We are Christians," have We accepted the Covenant. But they
too have forgotten a part of what they were taught; wherefore We have stirred
up enmity and hatred among them that shall last till the Day of Resurrection;
and in the end will God tell them of their doings. -- Sura v, 17. These
words also have been literally fulfilled in the subjection of the Jews to Christian
(and Muslim) peoples, and in the sectarianism and strife which have divided both
Jews and Christians among themselves during all the centuries since Muhammad spoke.
Only since the commencement of the Bahá'í era (the Day of Resurrection) have signs
of the approaching end of these conditions made their appearance.
Signs
in Heaven and Earth
In
the Hebrew, Christian, Muhammadan and many other Scriptures, there is a remarkable
similarity in the description of the signs which are to accompany the coming of
the Promised One. In
the Book of Joel we read: -- And
I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars
of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before
the great and terrible days of the Lord come. ... For, behold, in those days ...
when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather
all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat [Jehovah
judgeth], and will plead with them there. ... Multitudes, multitudes in the valley
of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun
and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The
Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the
heavens and the earth shall shake; but the Lord will be the hope of his people.
-- Joel ii, 30-31; iii, 1-2, 14-16.
Christ says: -- Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of
man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. -- Matt. xxiv,
29-30.
In the Qur'an we read: --
When the sun shall be shrouded, And when the stars shall fall, And when the mountains
are made to pass away ... And when the leaves of the Book shall be unrolled, And
when the heaven shall be uncovered, And when hell shall be made to blaze. -- Sura
lxxxi. In
the Book of Iqan Baha'u'llah explains that these prophecies about the sun, moon
and stars, the heavens and the earth, are symbolical and are not to be understood
merely in the literal sense. The Prophets were primarily concerned with spiritual,
not material, things; with spiritual, not with physical, light. When They mention
the sun, in connection with the
Day of Judgment, They refer to the Sun of Righteousness. The sun is the supreme
source of light, so Moses was a sun for the Hebrews, Christ for the Christians,
and Muhammad for the Muslims. When the Prophets speak of the sun being darkened,
what is meant is that the pure teachings of these spiritual Suns have become obscured
by misrepresentation, misunderstanding and prejudice, so that the people are in
spiritual darkness. The moon and stars are the lesser sources of illumination,
the religious leaders and teachers, who should guide and inspire the people. When
it is said that the moon shall not give her light or shall be turned into blood,
and the stars shall fall from heaven, it is indicated that the leaders of the
churches shall become debased, engaging in strife and contention, and the priests
shall become worldly minded, concerned about earthly instead of heavenly things.
The meaning
of these prophecies is not exhausted by one explanation, however, and there are
other senses in which these symbols can be interpreted. Baha'u'llah says that
in another sense the words "sun," "moon," and "stars" are applied to the ordinances
and instructions enacted in every religion. As in every subsequent Manifestation
the ceremonies, forms, customs and instructions of the preceding Manifestations
are changed in accordance with the requirements of the times, so, in this sense
the sun and moon are changed and the stars dispersed. In
many cases the literal fulfillment of these prophecies in the outward sense would
be absurd or impossible; for example, the moon being turned into blood or the
stars falling upon the earth. The least of the visible stars is many thousand
times larger than the earth, and were one to fall on the earth there would be
no earth left for another to fall on! In other cases, however, there is a material
as well as a spiritual fulfillment. For example, the Holy Land did literally become
desert and desolate during many centuries, as foretold by the prophets, but already,
in the Day of Resurrection, it is beginning to "rejoice and blossom as the rose,"
as Isaiah foretold. Prosperous colonies are being started, the land is being irrigated
and cultivated, and vineyards, olive groves and gardens are
flourishing where half a century ago there was only sandy waste. Doubtless when
men beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks, wildernesses
and deserts in all parts of the world will be reclaimed; the scorching winds and
sandstorms that blow from these deserts, and make life in their neighborhood well-nigh
intolerable, will be things of the past; the climate of the whole earth will become
milder and more equable; cities will no longer defile the air with smoke and poisonous
fumes, and even in the outward, material sense there will be "new heavens and
a new earth."
Manner
of Coming
As to the
manner of His coming at the end of the age, Christ said: -- And
they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet. ... then
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all
nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his
sheep from the goats. -- Matt. xxiv, 30-31; xxv, 31-32. Regarding
these and similar passages Baha'u'llah writes in the Book of Iqan: -- ...
The term "heaven" denoteth loftiness and exaltation, inasmuch as it is the seat
of the revelation of those Manifestations of Holiness, the Day-springs of ancient
glory. These ancient Beings, though delivered from the womb of their mother, have
in reality descended from the heaven of the will of God. Though they be dwelling
on this earth, yet their true habitations are the retreats of glory in the realms
above. Whilst walking amongst mortals, they soar in the heaven of the divine presence.
Without feet they tread the path of the spirit, and without wings they rise unto
the exalted heights of divine unity. With every fleeting breath they cover the
immensity of space, and at every moment traverse the kingdoms of the visible and
the invisible. ... ...
By the term "clouds" is meant those things that are contrary to the ways and desires
of men. Even as He hath revealed in the verse already quoted: "As oft as an Apostle
cometh unto you with that which your souls desire not, ye swell with pride, accusing
some of being impostors and slaying others." [Qur'an 2:87.] These "clouds" signify,
in one sense, the annulment of laws, the abrogation of former Dispensations, the
repeal of rituals and customs current amongst men, the exalting of the illiterate
faithful above the learned opposers of the Faith. In another sense, they mean
the appearance of that immortal Beauty in the image of mortal man, with such human
limitations as eating and drinking, poverty and riches, glory and abasement, sleeping
and waking, and such other things as cast doubt in the minds of men, and cause
them to turn away. All such veils are symbolically referred to as "clouds." These
are the "clouds" that cause the heavens of the knowledge and understanding of
all that dwell on earth to be cloven asunder. Even as He hath revealed: "On that
day shall the heaven be cloven by the clouds." [Qur'an 25:25]. Even as the clouds
prevent the eyes of men from beholding the sun, so do these things hinder the
souls of men from recognizing the light of the divine Luminary. To this beareth
witness that which hath proceeded out of the mouth of the unbelievers as revealed
in the sacred Book: "And they have said: `What manner of apostle is this? He eateth
food, and walketh the streets. Unless an angel be sent down and take part in His
warnings, we will not believe.'" [Qur'an 25:7.] Other Prophets, similarly, have
been subject to poverty and afflictions, to hunger, and to the ills and chances
of this world. As these holy Persons were subject to such needs and wants, the
people were, consequently, lost in the wilds of misgivings and doubts, and were
afflicted with bewilderment and perplexity. How, they wondered, could such a person
be sent
down from God, assert His ascendancy over all the peoples and kindreds of the
earth, and claim Himself to be the goal of all creation, -- even as He hath said:
"But for Thee, I would have not created all that are in heaven and on earth,"
-- and yet be subject to such trivial things? You must undoubtedly have been informed
of the tribulations, the poverty, the ills, and the degradation that have befallen
every Prophet of God and His companions. You must have heard how the heads of
their followers were sent as presents unto different cities, how grievously they
were hindered from that whereunto they were commanded. Each and every one of them
fell a prey to the hands of the enemies of His Cause, and had to suffer whatsoever
they decreed. ... ...
The All-Glorious hath decreed these very things, that are contrary to the desires
of wicked men, to be the touchstone and standard whereby He proveth His servants,
that the just may be known from the wicked, and the faithful distinguished from
the infidel. ... And
now, concerning His words: "And He shall send His angels. ..." By "angels" is
meant those who, reinforced by the power of the spirit, have consumed, with the
fire of the love of God, all human traits and limitations, and have clothed themselves
with the attributes of the most exalted Beings and of the Cherubim. ... As
the adherents of Jesus have never understood the hidden meaning of these words,
and as the signs which they and leaders of their Faith have expected have failed
to appear, they therefore refused to acknowledge, even until now, the truth of
those Manifestations of Holiness that have since the days of Jesus been made manifest.
They have thus deprived themselves of the outpourings of God's holy grace, and
of the wonders of His divine utterance. Such is their low estate in this, the
Day of Resurrection! They have even failed to perceive that were the signs of
the Manifestation of God in every age to appear in the visible realm in accordance
with the text
of established traditions, none could possibly deny or turn away, not would the
blessed be distinguished from the miserable, and the transgressor from the God-fearing.
Judge fairly: Were the prophecies recorded in the Gospel to be literally fulfilled;
were Jesus, Son of Mary, accompanied by angels, to descend from the visible heaven
upon the clouds; who would dare to disbelieve, who would dare to reject the truth,
and wax disdainful? Nay, such consternation would immediately seize all the dwellers
of the earth that no soul would feel able to utter a word, much less to reject
or accept the truth. -- Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 67, 71-73, 76, 78-79, 80-81. According
to the above explanation the coming of the Son of Man, in lowly human form, born
of woman, poor, uneducated, oppressed and set at naught by the great ones of the
earth -- this manner of coming is the very touchstone by which He judges the people
of earth and separates them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep
from the goats. Those whose spiritual eyes are opened can see through those clouds
and rejoice in the "power and great glory" -- the very glory of God -- which He
comes to reveal; the others, whose eyes are still holden by prejudice and error,
can see but the dark clouds and continue to grope in gloom, deprived of the blessed
sunshine. Behold,
I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord,
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant,
whom ye delight in. ... But who may abide the day of his coming? And who shall
stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' sope.
... For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud,
yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: ... But unto you that fear my
name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings. -- Mal. iii,
1-2; iv. 1-2.
NOTE -- The
subject of fulfillment of prophecy is such an extensive one that many volumes
would be required for its adequate
exposition. All that can be done within the limits of a single chapter is to indicate
the main outlines of the Bahá'í interpretations. The detailed Apocalypses revealed
by Daniel and St. John have been left untouched. Readers will find certain chapters
of these dealt with in Some Answered Questions. In the Book of Iqan, by Baha'u'llah,
Bahá'í Proofs, by Mirza Abu'l-Fadl, and in many of the Tablets of Baha'u'llah
and Abdu'l-Baha further explanation of prophecies may be found.
Footnotes:
Page 215: 1. The Second World War further
demonstrated the fulfillment of this prophecy, culminating in the use of the atomic
bomb. back
Chapter 14
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:Chapter
Fourteen: Prophecies of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha
And
if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not
spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not,
nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet
hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. -- Deut. xviii,
21-22. Creative Power of God's Word
God,
and God alone, has the power to do whatever He wills, and the greatest proof of
a Manifestation of God is the creative power of His word -- its effectiveness
to change and transform all human affairs and to triumph over all human opposition.
Through the word of the Prophets God announces His will, and the immediate or
subsequent fulfillment of that word is the clearest proof of the Prophet's claim
and of the genuineness of His inspiration. For
as the rain cometh down, and the snow from the heaven, and returneth not thither,
but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed
to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out
of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which
I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. -- Isa. lv, 10-11. When
the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus with the question: "Art thou he
that should come, or do we look for another?" the answer of Jesus was simply to
point to the effects wrought by His words: -- Go
and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their
sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead
are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he,
whosoever shall not be offended in me. -- Matt. xi, 4-6. Let
us now see what evidence there is to show whether the words of Baha'u'llah have
this creative power which is distinctive of the word of God.
Baha'u'llah
commanded the rulers to establish universal peace, and
their prolongation of the policy of war since 1869-1870
has overthrown many ancient dynasties, while each successive
war has produced less and less fruits of victory, until
the European War of 1914-1918 revealed the historically
startling fact that was has become disastrous to victor
and vanquished alike.1
Baha'u'llah
bade the rulers likewise to act as trustees of those under their control, making
political authority a means to true general welfare. The progress toward social
legislation has been unprecedented. He
commanded limitation of the extremes of wealth and poverty, and ever since, legislation
for the establishment of minimum subsistence levels and for graduated taxation
of wealth by income and inheritance taxes has been a constant concern. He commanded
the abolition of both chattel and economic slavery, and ever since, the progress
toward emancipation has been a ferment in all parts of the world. Baha'u'llah
declared the equality of men and women, expressed through equal responsibilities
and equal rights and privileges, and since that declaration, the bonds by which
women have been bound for ages have been breaking, and woman has rapidly been
securing her rightful place as the equal and partner of man. He
declared the fundamental oneness of religions, and the succeeding interval has
witnessed the most determined efforts of sincere souls in all parts of the world
to achieve a new degree
of tolerance, of mutual understanding and of cooperation for universal ends. The
sectarian attitude has everywhere been undermined, and its historical position
has become more and more untenable. The basis of exclusiveness in religion has
been destroyed by the same forces making nationalism of the self-contained type
incapable of survival. He
commanded universal education, and made the independent investigation of truth
a proof of spiritual vitality. Modern civilization has been stirred to its depths
by this new leaven. Compulsory education for children, and the extension of educational
facilities for adults, have become a primary policy of government. Nations which
deliberately seek to restrict that very policy have aroused revolution within
and suspicion and fear outside their boundaries. Baha'u'llah
commanded the adoption of a universal auxiliary language, and Dr. Zamenhof and
others obeyed His call by devoting their lives and genius to this great task and
opportunity. Above
all, Baha'u'llah imbued humanity with a new spirit, arousing new longings in minds
and hearts and new ideals for society. Nothing in all history is so dramatic and
impressive as the course of events since the dawn of the Bahá'í era in 1844. Year
by year, the power of a dead past prolonged through outworn ideas, habits, attitudes
and institutions has weakened, until at present every intelligent man and woman
on earth realizes that humanity is passing through its most terrible crisis. On
the one hand we see the new creation arising as the light of Baha'u'llah's teaching
has revealed the true path of evolution. On the other hand we see naught but disaster
and frustration in all realms where that light is resisted or ignored. Yet,
to the faithful Bahá'í, these and countless other evidences, impressive as they
are, fail to give the real measure of the spiritual majesty of Baha'u'llah. His
life on earth, and the irresistible force of His inspired words, stand as the
only true criterion of the will of God. A
study of the more detailed prophecies of Baha'u'llah and
their fulfillment will give powerful corroborative evidence. Of these prophecies
we shall now proceed to give a few examples, about the authenticity of which there
can be no dispute. They were widely published and known before their fulfillment
came about. The letter which He sent to the crowned heads of the world, in which
many of these prophecies occur, were compiled in a book which was first published
in Bombay in the late nineteenth century. Several editions have since been published.
We shall also give some examples of noteworthy prophecies by Abdu'l-Baha.
Napoleon III
In the year
1869 Baha'u'llah wrote to Napoleon III, rebuking him for his lust of war and for
the contempt with which he had treated a former letter from Baha'u'llah. The Epistle
contains the following stern warning: -- For
what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire
shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought.
Then wilt thou know how thou hast plainly erred. Commotions shall seize all the
people in that land, unless thou arisest to held this Cause, and followest Him
Who is the Spirit of God (Jesus Christ) in this, the Straight Path. Hath thy pomp
made thee proud? By My Life! It shall not endure; nay, it shall soon pass away,
unless thou holdest fast by this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee,
whilst thou art of the heedless. Needless
to say, Napoleon, who was then at the zenith of his power, paid no heed to this
warning. In the following year he went to war with Prussia, firmly convinced that
his troops could easily gain Berlin; but the tragedy foretold by Baha'u'llah overwhelmed
him. He was defeated at Saarbruck, at Weisenburg, at Metz, and finally in the
crushing catastrophe at Sedan. He was then carried prisoner to Prussia, and came
to a miserable end in England two years later. Germany
Baha'u'llah
later gave an equally solemn warning to the conquerors of Napoleon, which also
fell on deaf ears and received a terrible fulfillment. In the Book of Aqdas, which
was begun in Adrianople, and finished in the early years of Baha'u'llah's imprisonment
in Akka, He addressed the Emperor of Germany as follows: -- O
King of Berlin! ... Do thou remember the one whose power transcended thy power
(Napoleon III) and whose station excelled thy station. Where is he? Whither are
gone the things he possessed? Take warning, and be not of them that are fast asleep.
He it was who cast the Tablet of God behind him, when We made known unto him what
the hosts of tyranny had caused Us to suffer. Wherefore, disgrace assailed him
from all sides, and he went down to dust in great loss. Think deeply, O King,
concerning him, and concerning them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities
and ruled over men. The All-Merciful brought them down from their palaces to their
graves. Be warned, be of them who reflect. ... O
banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch as the swords
of retribution were drawn against you; and you shall have another turn. And We
hear the lamentations of Berlin, though she be today in conspicuous glory. --
Kitab-i-Aqdas. During
the period of German successes in the Great War of 1914-1918, and especially during
the last great German offensive in the spring of 1918, this well-known prophecy
was extensively quoted by the opponents of the Bahá'í Faith in Persia, in order
to discredit Baha'u'llah; but when the forward sweep of the victorious Germans
was suddenly transformed into crushing, overwhelming disaster, the efforts of
these enemies of the Bahá'í Cause recoiled on themselves, and the notoriety which
they had given to the prophecy became a powerful means of enhancing the reputation
of Baha'u'llah. Persia
In the Book
of Aqdas written when the tyrannical Nasiri'd-Din Shah was at the height of his
power, Baha'u'llah blesses the city of Tihran, which is the capital of Persia,
and His own birthplace, and says of it: -- Let
nothing grieve thee, O Land of Ta (Tihran), for God hath chosen thee to be the
source of the joy of all mankind. He shall, if it be His will, bless thy throne
with one who will rule with justice, who will gather together the flock of God
which the wolves have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and gladness, turn
his face towards, and extend his favors unto, the people of Baha. He indeed is
accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among men. Upon him rest forever the
glory of God, and the glory of all that dwell in the kingdom of His Revelation.
Rejoice
with great joy, for God hath made thee "the Day Spring of His light," inasmuch
as within thee was born the Manifestation of His Glory. Be thou glad for this
name that hath been conferred upon thee -- a name through which the Day Star of
Grace hath shed its splendor, through which both earth and heaven have been illumined.
Ere
long will the state of affairs within thee be changed, and the reins of power
fall into the hands of the people. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Knowing. His authority
embraceth all things. Rest thou assured in the gracious favor of thy Lord. The
eye of His loving-kindness shall everlastingly be directed towards thee. The day
is approaching when thy agitation will have been transmuted into peace and quiet
calm. Thus hath it been decreed in the wondrous Book. -- Gleanings from the Writings
of Baha'u'llah, pp. 110-111. So
far, Persia has only begun to emerge from the period of confusion foretold by
Baha'u'llah, but already constitutional government has been started, and signs
are not lacking that a brighter era is at hand. Turkey
To the Sultan
of Turkey and his Prime Minister `Ali Pasha, Baha'u'llah, then (in 1868) confined
in a Turkish prison, addressed some of His most solemn, grave warnings. To the
Sultan He wrote from the Barracks at Akka: -- O
thou who considerest thyself the greatest of all men ... erelong thy name shall
be forgotten and thou shalt find thyself in great loss. According to thy opinion,
this Quickener of the world and its Peacemaker is culpable and seditious. What
crime have the women, children and suffering babes committed to merit thy wrath,
oppression and hate? You have persecuted a number of souls who have shown no opposition
in your country, and who have instigated no revolution against the government;
nay, rather, by day and by night they have been peacefully engaged in the mentioning
of God. You have pillaged their properties, and through your tyrannical acts,
all that they had was taken from them. ... Before God, a handful of dust is greater
than your kingdom, glory, sovereignty and dominion, and should He desire, He would
scatter you as the sand of the desert. Erelong His wrath shall overtake you, revolutions
shall appear in your midst and your countries will be divided! Then you will weep
and lament and nowhere will you find help and protection. ... Be ye watchful,
for the wrath of God is prepared, and erelong you shall behold that which is written
by the Pen of Command. And
to Ali Pasha He wrote: -- Thou
hast, O Chief, committed that which hath made Muhammad, the Apostle of God, groan
in the Most Exalted Paradise. The world hath made thee proud, so much so that
thou hast turned away from the Face through Whose brightness the Concourse on
high hath been illumined. Soon thou shalt find thyself in evident loss. Thou didst
unite with the Ruler of Persia for doing Me harm, although I had come to you from
the Dawning-place of the Almighty, the Great, with a Cause which refreshed the
eyes of the favored ones of God. ... Didst
thou think that thou could put out the fire which God hath enkindled in the Universe?
No! I declare by His True Soul, wert thou of those who understand. More than that,
by what thou hast done its blaze and flame have been increased. Soon it will encompass
the world and its inhabitants. ... The day is approaching when the Land of Mystery
(Adrianople) and what is beside it shall be changed, and shall pass out of the
hands of the King, and commotions shall appear, and the voice of lamentation shall
be raised, and the evidences of mischief shall be revealed on all sides, and confusion
shall spread by reason of that which hath befallen these captives [Baha'u'llah
and His companions] at the hands of the hosts of oppression. The course of things
shall be altered, and conditions shall wax so grievous, that the very sand on
the desolate hills will moan, and the trees on the mountain will weep, and blood
will flow out of all things. Then wilt thou behold the people in sore distress.
... Thus
hath the matter been decreed on the part of the Designer, the Wise, Whose command
the hosts of heaven and earth could not withstand, nor could all the kings and
rulers withhold Him from that which He willeth. Calamities are the oil for this
Lamp, and through them its Light increaseth, were ye of those who know! All oppositions
displayed by the oppressors are indeed as heralds to this Faith, and by them the
appearance of God and His Cause have become widely spread among the people of
the world. Again
in the Book of Aqdas He wrote: -- O
Spot [Constantinople] that art situate on the shores of the two seas! The throne
of tyranny hath, verily, been established upon thee, and the flame of hatred hath
been kindled within thy bosom, in such wise that the Concourse on high and they
who circle around the Exalted Throne have wailed and lamented. We behold in thee
the foolish ruling over the wise, and darkness vaunting itself against the light.
Thou art indeed filled with manifest pride. Hath thine outward splendor made thee
vainglorious? By Him Who is the Lord of mankind! It shall soon perish, and thy
daughters and thy widows and all the kindreds that dwell within thee shall lament.
Thus informeth thee the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. The
successive calamities which have befallen this once great empire since the publication
of these warnings have furnished an eloquent commentary on their prophetic significance.
America
In
the Book of Aqdas, revealed in Akka in 1873, Baha'u'llah appealed to America as
follows: -- O
Rulers of America and the Presidents of the Republics therein ... Give ear unto
that which hath been raised from the Dayspring of Grandeur: Verily, there is none
other God but Me, the Lord of Utterance, the All-Knowing. Bind ye the broken with
the hands of justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of
the commandments of your Lord, the Ordainer, the All-Wise. -- Kitab-i-Aqdas. Abdu'l-Baha
in His addresses in America and elsewhere frequently expressed the hope, the prayer
and the assurance that the banner of international peace would be first raised
in America. At Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 5, 1912, He said: -- America
is a noble nation, a standard-bearer of peace throughout the world, shedding her
light to all regions. Other nations are not untrammeled and free of intrigues
like the United States, and are unable to bring about Universal Peace. But America,
thank God, is at peace with all the world, and is worthy of raising the flag of
brotherhood and International Peace. When the summons to International Peace is
raised by America, all the rest of the world will cry: "Yes, we accept." The nations
of every clime will join in adopting the teachings of Baha'u'llah, revealed over
fifty years ago. In His Epistles He asked the parliaments of the world to send
their best and wisest men to an international world parliament that should decide
all questions between the peoples and establish peace ... then we shall have the
Parliament of Man of which the prophets have dreamed.
The
appeals of Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha have already
been responded to, in a large measure, by the United
States of America, and in no country of the world have
the Bahá'í teachings met with readier
acceptance. The role assigned to America, of summoning
the nations to international peace, has as yet, however,
been only partially played, and Bahá'ís
are awaiting with interest the developments which the
future has in store.1
The
Great War
Both
Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha on many occasions foretold with surprising accuracy
the coming of the Great War of 1914-1918. At Sacramento, California, on October
26, 1912, Abdu'l-Baha said: -- "Today the European continent is like an arsenal.
It is a storehouse of explosives, ready for just a spark, and one spark could
set aflame the whole of Europe, particularly at this time, when the Balkan question
is before the world." In
many of His addresses in America and Europe He gave similar warning. In another
address in California in October 1912 He said: -- We
are on the eve of the Battle of Armageddon referred to in the sixteenth chapter
of Revelation. The time is two years hence, when only a spark will set aflame
the whole of Europe. The
social unrest in all countries, the growing religious scepticism antecedent to
the millennium, and already here, will set aflame the whole of Europe as is prophesied
in the Book of Daniel and in the Book (Revelation) of John. By
1917 kingdoms will fall and cataclysms will rock the earth. (Reported by Mrs.
Corinne True in The North Shore Review, September 26, 1914, Chicago, U.S.A.)
On
the eve of the great conflict He said: -- A
great melee of the civilized nations is in sight. A tremendous conflict is at
hand. The world is at the threshold of a most tragic struggle. ... Vast armies
-- millions of men -- are being mobilized and stationed at their frontiers. They
are being prepared for the fearful contest. The slightest friction will bring
them into a terrific crash, and there will be a conflagration, the like of which
is not recorded in the past history of mankind. (At Haifa, August 3, 1914).
Social Troubles
After the War
Both
Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha also foretold a period of great social upheaval, conflict
and calamity as an inevitable result of the irreligion and prejudices, the ignorance
and superstition, prevalent throughout the world. The great international military
conflict was but one phase of this upheaval. In a Tablet dated January, 1920,
He wrote: -- O
ye lovers of truth! O ye servants of mankind! As the sweet fragrance of your thoughts
and high intentions has breathed upon me, I feel that my soul is irresistibly
prompted to communicate with you. Ponder
in your hearts how grievous is the turmoil in which the world is plunged; how
the nations of the earth are besmeared with human blood, nay their very soil is
turned into clotted gore. The flame of war has caused so wild a conflagration
that the world in its early days, in its middle ages, or in modern times has never
witnessed its like. The millstones of war have ground and crushed many a human
head, nay, even more severe has been the lot of these victims. Flourishing countries
have been made desolate, cities have been laid level with the ground, and smiling
villages have been turned into ruin. Fathers have lost their sons, and sons turned
fatherless. Mothers have shed tears of blood in mourning for their youths, little
children have been made orphans, and women left wanderers and homeless. In a word,
humanity, in all its phases, has been debased. Loud is the cry and wailing of
orphans, and bitter the lamentations of mothers which are echoed by the skies.
The
prime cause for all these happenings is racial, national, religious, and political
prejudice, and the root of all this prejudice lies in outworn and deepseated traditions,
be they religious, racial, national, or political. So long as these traditions
remain, the foundation of human edifice is insecure, and mankind itself is exposed
to continuous peril. Now
in this radiant age, when the essence of all beings has been made manifest, and
the hidden secret of all created thing has been revealed, when the morning light
of truth has broken and turned the darkness of the world into light, is it meet
and seemly that such a frightful carnage which brings irretrievable ruin upon
the world should be made possible? By God! that cannot be. Christ
summoned all the people of the world to reconciliation and peace. He commanded
Peter to return his sword unto its scabbard. Such was His wish and counsel, and
yet they that bear His name have unsheathed the sword! How great the difference
between their deeds and the explicit text of the Gospel! Sixty
years ago Baha'u'llah, even as the shining sun, shone in the firmament of Persia,
and proclaimed that the world is wrapt in darkness and this darkness is fraught
with disastrous results, and will lead to fearful strife. In 246
His prison city of Akka, He apostrophized in unmistakable terms the Emperor of
Germany, declaring that a terrible war shall take place, and Berlin will break
forth in lamentation and wailing. In like manner, whilst the wronged prisoner
of the Sultan of Turkey in the citadel of Akka, He clearly and emphatically wrote
him that Constantinople will fall a prey to grave disorder, in such wise that
the women and children will raise their moaning cry. In brief, He addressed epistles
to all the chief rulers and sovereigns of the world, and all that He foretold
has been fulfilled. From His pen of glory flowed teachings for the prevention
of war, and these have been scattered far and wide. His
first teaching is the search after truth. Blind imitation, He declared, killeth
the spirit of man, whereas the investigation of truth frees the world from the
darkness of prejudice. His
second teaching is the oneness of mankind. All men are but one fold, and God the
loving Shepherd. He bestoweth upon them His most great mercy, and considers them
all as one. "Thou shalt find no difference amongst the creatures of God." They
are all His servants, and all seek His bounty. His
third teaching is that religion is the most mighty stronghold. It should be conducive
to unity, rather than be the cause of enmity and hate. Should it lead to enmity
and hate better not have it at all. For religion is even as medicine, which if
it should aggravate the disease, its abandonment would be preferred. Likewise,
religious, racial, national, and political prejudice, all are subversive of the
foundation of human society, all lead to bloodshed, all heap ruin upon mankind.
So long as these remain, the dread of war will continue. The sole remedy is universal
peace. And this is achieved only by the establishment of a supreme Tribunal, representative
of all governments and peoples. All national and international problems should
be referred to this tribunal, and whatsoever be its decision that should be enforced.
Were
a government or people to dissent, the world as a whole should rise against it.
And
among His teachings is the equality in right of men and women, and so on with
many other similar teachings that have been revealed by His pen. At
present it has been made evident and manifest that these principles are the very
life of the world, and the embodiment of its true spirit. And now, ye, who are
the servants of mankind, should exert yourselves, heart and soul, to free the
world from the darkness of materialism and human prejudice, that it may be illumined
with the light of the City of God. Praise
be to Him, ye are acquainted with the various schools, institutions and principles
of the world; today nothing short of these divine teachings can assure peace and
tranquillity to mankind. But for these teachings, this darkness shall never vanish,
these chronic diseases shall never be healed; nay, they shall grow fiercer from
day to day. The Balkans will remain restless, and it condition will aggravate.
The vanquished will not keep still, but will seize every means to kindle anew
the flame of war. Modern universal movements will do their utmost to carry out
their purpose and intentions. The Movement of the Left will acquire great importance,
and its influence will spread. Wherefore,
endeavor that with an illumined heart, a heavenly spirit, and a divine strength,
and aided by His grace, ye may bestow God's bountiful gift upon the world ...
the gift of comfort and tranquillity for all mankind.
In
a talk given in November 1919, He said: -- Baha'u'llah
frequently predicted that there would be a period when irreligion and consequent
anarchy would prevail. The chaos will be due to too great liberty among people
who are not ready for it, and in consequence there will have to be a temporary
reversion to coercive government, in the interests of the people themselves and
in order to prevent disorder and chaos. It is clear that each nation now wishes
complete self-determination and freedom of action, but some of them are not ready
for it. The prevailing state of the world is one of irreligion, which is bound
to result in anarchy and confusion. I have always said that the peace proposals
following the great war were only a glimmer of the dawn, and not the sunrise.
Coming of the Kingdom of God
Amid these
troublous times, however, the Cause of God will prosper. The calamities caused
by selfish struggle for individual existence, or for party or sectarian or national
gain, will induce the people to turn in despair to the remedy offered by the Word
of God. The more calamities abound, the more will the people turn to the only
true remedy. Baha'u'llah says in his Epistle to the Shah: -- God
hath made afflictions as a morning shower to this green pasture, and as a wick
for His Lamp, whereby earth and heaven are illumined. ... Through affliction hath
His Light shone and His Praise been bright unceasingly; this hath been His method
through past ages and bygone times.
Both
Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha predict in the most confident terms the speedy triumph
of spirituality over materiality and the consequent establishment of the Most
Great Peace. Abdu'l-Baha wrote in 1904: -- Know
this, that hardships and misfortunes shall increase day by day, and the people
shall be distressed. The doors of joy and happiness shall be closed on all sides.
Terrible wars shall happen. Disappointment and the frustration of hopes shall
surround the people from every direction until they are obliged to turn to God.
Then the lights of great happiness shall enlighten the horizons, so that the cry
of "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha!" may arise on all sides. -- Tablet to L.D.B. quoted in Compilation
on War and Peace, p. 187.
When
asked, in February 1914, whether any of the Great Powers would become believers,
He replied: -- All
the people of the world will become believers. Should you compare the beginning
of the Cause with its position today, you would see what a quick influence the
Word of God has, and now the Cause of God has encompassed the world. ... Unquestionably,
all will come under the shadow of the Cause of God.
He
declared that the establishment of world unity will come about during the present
century. In one of His Tablets He wrote: -- ...
All the members of the human family, whether peoples or governments, cities or
villages, have become increasingly interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency
any longer possible, inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations,
and the bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being strengthened
every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can in this day be achieved. Verily
this is none other but one of the wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious
century -- the century of light -- has been endowed with the unique and unprecedented
glory, power and illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh marvel
every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles will burn in the
assemblage of man.
In
the last two verses of the Book of Daniel occur the cryptic words: -- "Blessed
is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty
days. But go thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot
at the end of the days." Many
have been the attempts of learned students to solve the problem of the significance
of these words. In a tabletalk at which the writer was present, Abdu'l-Baha reckoned
the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy from the date of the beginning of the Muhammadan
era.
[Ed. note: see also bahai-library.org/uhj/beckwith.daniel.prophecy.html, bahai-library.org/uhj/beckwith.html, and bahai-library.org/nsa/beckwith.2.html. -J.W. 2002]
Abdu'l-Baha's
Tablets make it clear that this prophecy refers to the one hundredth anniversary
of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad, or the year 1963: -- Now
concerning the verse in Daniel, the interpretation whereof thou didst ask, namely,
"Blessed is he who cometh unto the thousand, three hundred and thirty-five days."
These days must be reckoned as solar and not lunar years. For according to this
calculation a century will have elapsed from the dawn of the Sun of Truth, then
will the teachings of God be firmly established upon the earth, and the Divine
Light shall flood the world from the East even unto the West. Then, on this day,
will the faithful rejoice!
Akka and Haifa
Mirza
Ahmad Sohrab recorded in his diary the following prophecy about Akka and Haifa
uttered by Abdu'l-Baha while seated by the window of one of the Bahá'í Pilgrim
Homes at Haifa on February 14, 1914: -- The
view from the Pilgrim Home is very attractive, especially as it faces the Blessed
Tomb of Baha'u'llah. In the future the distance between Akka and Haifa will be
built up, and the two cities will join and clasp hands, becoming the two terminal
section of one mighty metropolis. As I look now over this scene, I see so clearly
that it will become one of the first emporiums of the world. This great semicircular
bay will be transformed into the finest harbor, wherein the ships of all nations
will seek shelter and refuge. The great vessels of all peoples will come to this
port, bringing on their decks thousands and thousands of men and women from every
part of the globe. The mountain and the plain will be dotted with the most modern
buildings and palaces. Industries will be established and various institutions
of philanthropic nature will be founded. The flowers of civilization and culture
from all nations will be brought here to blend their fragrances together
and blaze the way for the brotherhood of man. Wonderful gardens, orchards, groves
and parks will be laid out on all sides. At night the great city will be lighted
by electricity. The entire harbor from Akka to Haifa will be one path of illumination.
Powerful searchlights will be placed on both sides of Mount Carmel to guide the
steamers. Mount Carmel itself, from top to bottom, will be submerged in a sea
of lights. A person standing on the summit of Mount Carmel, and the passengers
of the steamers coming to it, will look upon the most sublime and majestic spectacle
of the whole world. From
every part of the mountain the symphony of "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha!" will be raised,
and before the daybreak soul-entrancing music accompanied by melodious voices
will be uplifted towards the throne of the Almighty. Indeed,
God's ways are mysterious and unsearchable. What outward relation exists between
Shiraz and Tihran, Baghdad and Constantinople, Adrianople and Akka and Haifa?
God worked patiently, step by step, through these various cities, according to
His own definite and eternal plan, so that the prophecies and predictions as foretold
by the Prophets might be fulfilled. This golden thread of promise concerning the
Messianic Millennium runs through the Bible, and it was so destined that God in
His own good time would cause its appearance. Not even a single word will be left
meaningless and unfulfilled.
Page
235: 1.
This has been further evidenced by the Second World War. [back]
Page 243: 1. It is of interest that the charter meeting of
the United Nations Organization was held in San Francisco. [back]
Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen: Retrospect and Prospect
I
bear witness, O friends! that the favor is complete, the argument fulfilled, the
proof manifest, and the evidence established. Let it now be seen what your endeavors
in the path of detachment will reveal. In this wise hath the divine favor been
fully vouchsafed unto you and unto them that are in heaven and on earth. All praise
to God, the Lord of all worlds. -- BAHA'U'LLAH, The Hidden Words.
Progress
of the Cause
Unfortunately
it is impossible, within the space at our disposal, to describe in detail the
progress of the Bahá'í Faith throughout the world. Many chapters might be devoted
to this fascinating subject, and many thrilling stories related about the pioneers
and martyrs of the Cause, but a very brief summary must surface. In
Persia the early believers in this revelation met with the utmost opposition,
persecution and cruelty at the hands of their fellow countrymen, but they faced
all calamities and ordeals with sublime heroism, firmness and patience. Their
baptism was in their own blood, for many thousands of them perished as martyrs;
while thousands more were beaten, imprisoned, stripped of their possessions, driven
from their homes or otherwise ill-treated. For sixty years or more anyone in Persia
who dared to own allegiance to the Bab or Baha'u'llah did so at the risk of his
property, his freedom and even his life. Yet this determined and ferocious opposition
could not more check the progress of the Movement than a cloud of dust could keep
the sun from rising.
From one end of Persia1
to
the other Bahá'ís are now to be found
in almost every city and town, and even amongst the
nomad tribes. In some villages the whole population
is Bahá'í and in other places a large
proportion of the inhabitants are believers. Recruited
from many and diverse sects, which were bitterly hostile
to each other, they now form a great fellowship of friends
who acknowledge brotherhood, not only with each other,
but with all men everywhere, who are working for the
unification and upliftment of humanity, for the removal
of all prejudices and conflict, and for the establishment
of the Kingdom of God in the world.
What
miracle could be greater than this? Only one, and that
the accomplishment throughout the entire world of the
task to which these men have set themselves. And signs
are not lacking that this greater miracle, too, is in
progress. The Faith is showing an astonishing vitality,
and is spreading, like leaven, through the lump of humanity,
transforming people and society as its spreads.2
The
relatively small number of Bahá'ís may still seem insignificant in comparison
with the followers of the ancient religions, but they are confident that a divine
Power has blessed them with the high privilege of serving a new order into which
will throng the multitudes of East and West at no distant day. While,
therefore, it remains true that the Holy Spirit has reflected from pure hearts
in all countries still unconscious of the Source, and the growth of the Faith
can be witnessed in the many efforts outside the Bahá'í community to promote one
or another of Baha'u'llah's teachings, nevertheless the lack of any enduring foundation
in the old order is convincing proof that the ideals of the Kingdom can only become
fruitful within the framework of the Bahá'í community.
Prophethood
of Bab and Baha'u'llah
The
more we study the lives and teachings of the Bab and Baha'u'llah, the more impossible
does it seem to find any explanation of Their greatness, except that of Divine
Inspiration. They were reared in an atmosphere of fanaticism and bigotry. They
had only the most elementary education. They had no contact with Western culture.
They had no political or financial power to back Them. They asked nothing from
men, and receive little but injustice and oppression. The great ones of earth
ignored or opposed Them. They were scourged and tortured, imprisoned and subjected
to direst calamities in the fulfillment of Their mission. They were alone against
the world, having no help but that of God, yet already Their triumph is manifest
and magnificent. The
grandeur and sublimity of Their ideals, the nobility and self-sacrifice of Their
lives; Their dauntless courage and conviction, Their amazing wisdom and knowledge,
Their grasp of the needs of both Eastern and Western peoples, the comprehensiveness
and adequacy of Their teachings, Their power to inspire wholehearted devotion
and enthusiasm in Their followers, the penetration and potency of Their influence,
the progress of the Movement They founded -- surely these constitute proofs of
Prophethood as convincing as any which the history of religion can show.
A Glorious Prospect
The
Bahá'í glad tidings disclose a vision of the Bounty of God and of the future progress
of humanity, which is surely
the greatest and most glorious Revelation ever given to mankind, the development
and fulfillment of all previous Revelations. Its purpose is nothing less than
the regeneration of mankind and the creation of "new heavens and a new earth."
It is the same task to which Christ and all the Prophets have devoted Their lives,
and between these great teachers there is no rivalry. It is not by this Manifestation
or by that, but by all together, that the task will be accomplished. As
Abdu'l-Baha says: -- It
is not necessary to lower Abraham to raise Jesus. It is not necessary to lower
Jesus to proclaim Baha'u'llah. We must welcome the Truth of God wherever we behold
it. The essence of the question is that all these great Messengers came to raise
the Divine Standard of Perfections. All of them shine as orbs in the same heaven
of the Divine Will. All of them give Light to the world. The
task is God's, and God calls not only the Prophets but all mankind to be His co-workers
in this creative process. If we refuse His invitation, we shall not hinder the
work from going on, for what God wills shall surely come to pass. If we fail to
play our part He can raise up other instruments to perform His purpose; but we
shall miss the real aim and object of our own lives. At-one-ment with God -- becoming
His lovers, His servants, the willing channels and mediums of His Creative Power,
so that we are conscious of no life within us but His Divine and abundant life
-- that, according to the Bahá'í teaching, is the ineffable and glorious consummation
of human existence. Humanity,
however, is sound at heart, for it is made "in the image and likeness of God,"
and when at last it sees the truth, it will not persist in the paths of folly.
Baha'u'llah assures us that erelong the call of God will be generally accepted,
and mankind as a whole will turn to righteousness and obedience. "All sorrow will
then be turned into joy, and all disease into health," and the kingdoms of this
world shall become "the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall
reign for ever and ever" (Rev. xi, 15). Not only those on earth, but all
in the heavens and on the earth, shall become one in God and rejoice eternally
in Him.
Renewal
of Religion
The state
of the world today surely affords ample evidence that, with rare exceptions, people
of all religions need to be reawakened to the real meaning of their religion;
and that reawakening is an important part of the work of Baha'u'llah. He comes
to make Christians better Christians, to make Muslims real Muslims, to make all
men true to the spirit that inspired their Prophets. He also fulfills the promise
made by all these Prophets, of a more glorious Manifestation which was to appear
in the "Fullness of Time" to crown and consummate Their labors. He gives a fuller
unfolding of spiritual truths than His predecessors, and reveals the Will of God
with regard to all the problems of individual and social life that confront us
in the world today. He gives a universal teaching which affords a firm foundation
on which a new and better civilization can be built up, a teaching adapted to
the needs of the world in the new era which is now commencing.
Need
for New Revelation
The
unification of the world of humanity, the welding together of the world's different
religions, the reconciliation of Religion and Science, the establishment of Universal
Peace, of International Arbitration of an International House of Justice, of an
International Language, the Emancipation of Women, Universal Education, the abolition
not only of Chattel Slavery, but of Industrial Slavery, the Organization of Humanity
as a single whole, with due regard to the rights and liberties of each individual
-- these are problems of gigantic magnitude and stupendous difficulty in relation
to which Christians, Muhammadans and adherents of other religions have held and
still hold the most diverse and often violently opposed views, but Baha'u'llah
has revealed clearly defined principles, the general adoption of which would obviously
make the world a paradise. Truth
Is for All
Many are
quite ready to admit that the Bahá'í teachings would be a splendid thing for Persia
and for the East, but imagine that for the nations of the West they are unnecessary
or unsuitable. To one who mentioned such a view, Abdu'l-Baha replied: -- As
to the meaning of the Cause of Baha'u'llah, whatever has to do with the universal
good is divine, and whatever is divine is for the universal good. If it be true,
it is for all; if not, it is for no one; therefore a divine cause of universal
good cannot be limited to either the East or the West, for the radiance of the
Sun of Truth illumines both the East and the West, and it makes its heat felt
in the South and in the North -- there is no difference between one Pole and another.
At the time of the Manifestation of Christ, the Romans and Greeks thought His
Cause was especially for the Jews. They thought they had a perfect civilization
and nothing to learn from Christ's teachings, and by this false supposition many
were deprived of His Grace. Likewise know that the principles of Christianity
and the Commandments of Baha'u'llah are identical and their paths are the same.
Every day there is progress; there was a time when this divine institution (of
progressive revelation) was in embryo, then newborn, then a child, then an intellectual
youth; but today it is resplendent with beauty and shining with the greatest brilliancy.
Happy
is he who penetrates the mystery and takes his place in the world of the illumined
ones.
The Last Will
and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha
With the
passing of its beloved leader, Abdu'l-Baha, the Bahá'í Faith entered on a new
phase of its history. This new phase represents a higher state in the existence
of the same
spiritual organism, a more mature and consequently a more responsible expression
of the faith felt by its members. Abdu'l-Baha had devoted His superhuman energy
and unique capacity to the task of spreading His love for Baha'u'llah throughout
the East and West. He had lighted the candle of faith in countless souls. He had
trained and guided them in the attributes of the personal spiritual life. In view
of the momentous importance of the Last Will and Testament of Abdu'l-Baha, the
gravity of the issues it raises and the profound wisdom underlying its provisions,
we give a few extracts which vividly portray the spirit and leading principles
which animated and guided Abdu'l-Baha and are transmitted as a rich heritage to
His faithful followers: -- O
ye beloved of the Lord! In this sacred Dispensation, conflict and contention are
in no wise permitted. Every aggressor deprives himself of God's grace. It is incumbent
upon everyone to show the utmost love, rectitude of conduct, straight forwardness
and sincere kindliness unto all the peoples and kindreds of the world, be they
friends or strangers. So intense must be the spirit of love and loving kindness,
that the stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother, no difference
whatsoever existing between them. For universality is of God and all limitations
earthly. ... Wherefore,
O my loving friends! Consort with all the peoples, kindreds and religions of the
world with the utmost truthfulness, uprightness, faithfulness, kindliness, good-will
and friendliness, that all the world of being may be filled with the holy ecstasy
of the grace of Baha, that ignorance, enmity, hate and rancor may vanish from
the world and the darkness of estrangement amidst the peoples and kindreds of
the world may give way to the Light of Unity. Should other peoples and nations
be unfaithful to you show your fidelity unto them, should they keep aloof from
you attract them to yourself, should they show their enmity be friendly towards
them, should they poison your lives, sweeten their souls, should they inflict
a wound upon you, be a salve to their sores. Such are the attributes of the sincere!
Such are the attributes of the truthful. O
ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon you to be submissive to all monarchs
that are just and to show your fidelity to every righteous king. Serve ye the
sovereigns of the world with utmost truthfulness and loyalty. Show obedience unto
them and be their well-wishers. Without their leave and permission do not meddle
with political affairs, for disloyalty to the just sovereign is disloyalty to
God Himself. This
is my counsel and the commandment of God unto you. Well is it with them that act
accordingly. Lord!
Thou seest all things weeping me and my kindred rejoicing in my woes. By Thy Glory,
O my God! Even amongst mine enemies, some have lamented my troubles and my distress,
and of the envious ones a number have shed tears because of my cares, my exile
and my afflictions. They did this because they found naught in me but affection
and care and witnessed naught but kindliness and mercy. As they saw me swept into
the flood of tribulation and adversity and exposed even as a target to the arrows
of fate, their hearts were moved with compassion -- "The Lord is our witness;
naught have we seen from him but faithfulness, generosity and extreme compassion."
The Covenant-breakers, foreboders of evil, however, waxed fiercer in their rancor,
rejoiced as I fell a victim to the most grievous ordeal, bestirred themselves
against me and made merry over the heartrending happenings around me. I
call upon Thee, O Lord my God! with my tongue and with all my heart, not to require
them for their cruelty and their wrong-doings, their craft and their mischief,
for they are foolish and ignoble and know not what they do. They discern not good
from evil, neither do they distinguish right from wrong, nor justice from injustice.
They follow their own desires and walk in the footsteps of the most imperfect
and foolish amongst them. O my Lord! Have mercy upon them, shield them from all
afflictions in these troubled times and grant that all trials and hardships may
be the lot of this Thy servant that hath fallen into this darksome pit. Single
me out for every woe and make me a sacrifice for all Thy loved ones. O Lord, Most
High! May my soul, my life, my being, my spirit, my all be offered up for them.
O God, my God! Lowly, suppliant and fallen upon my face, I beseech Thee with all
the ardor of my invocation to pardon whosoever hath hurt me, forgive him that
hath conspired against me and offended me, and wash away the misdeeds of them
that have wrought injustice upon me. Vouchsafe unto them Thy goodly gifts, give
them joy, relieve them from sorrow, grant them peace and prosperity, give them
Thy bliss and pour upon them Thy bounty. Thou
art the Powerful, the Gracious, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting! The
disciples of Christ forgot themselves and all earthy things, forsook all their
cares and belongings, purged themselves of self and passion and with absolute
detachment scattered far and wide and engaged in calling the peoples of the world
to the Divine Guidance, till at last they made the world another world, illumined
the surface of the earth and even to their last hour proved self-sacrificing in
the pathway of that Beloved One of God. Finally in various lands they suffered
glorious martyrdom. Let them that are men of action follow in their footsteps!
O
God, my God! I call Thee, Thy Prophets and Thy Messengers, Thy Saints and Thy
Holy Ones, to witness that I have declared conclusively Thy Proofs unto Thy loved
ones and set forth clearly all things unto them, that they may watch over Thy
Faith, guard Thy Straight Path and protect Thy Resplendent Law. Thou art, verily,
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! With
Abdu'l-Baha's passing, the time had come to establish the administrative order
which has been termed the pattern and nucleus of the world order which it is the
special mission of the religion of Baha'u'llah to establish. The Will and Testament
of Abdu'l-Baha consequently marks a turning point in Bahá'í history, dividing
the era of immaturity and irresponsibility from that era in which the Bahá'ís
themselves are destined to fulfill their spirituality by enlarging its scope from
the realm of personal experience to that of social unity and cooperation. The
three principal elements in the administrative plan left by Abdu'l-Baha are: --
- "The
Guardian of the Cause of God,"
- "The
Hands of the Cause of God," and
- "The
Houses of Justice, Local, National and International."1
The Guardian
of the Cause of God
Abdu'l-Baha
appointed His eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, to the responsible position of
"Guardian of the Cause" (Valiyy-i-Amru'llah). Shoghi Effendi is the eldest son
of Diya'iyyih Khanum, the eldest daughter of Abdu'l-Baha. His father, Mirza Hadi,
is a relative of the Bab (although not a direct descendant, as the Bab's only
child died in infancy). Shoghi Effendi was twenty-five years of age, and was studying
at Balliol College, Oxford, at the time of his grandfather's passing. The announcement
of his appointment is made in Abdu'l-Baha's Will as follows: -- O
my loving friends! After the passing away of this wronged one, it is incumbent
upon the Aghsan (Branches), the Afnan (Twigs) of the Sacred Lote-Tree, the Hands
(pillars) of the Cause of God and the loved ones of the Abha Beauty to turn unto
Shoghi Effendi -- the youthful branch branched from the two hallowed and sacred
Lote-Trees and the fruit grown from the union of the two offshoots of the Tree
of Holiness, -- as he is the sign of God, the chosen branch, the Guardian of the
Cause of God, he unto whom all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of
God and His loved ones must turn. He is the expounder of the words of God and
after him will succeed the first-born of his lineal descendants. The
sacred and youthful branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God as well as the Universal
House of Justice, to be universally elected and established, are both under the
care and protection of the Abha Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance
of His Holiness, the Exalted One (may my life be offered up for them both). Whatsoever
they decide is of God. ... O
ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the Guardian of the Cause of God
to appoint in his own lifetime him that shall become his successor, that differences
may not arise after his passing. He that is appointed must manifest in himself
detachment from all worldly things, must be the essence of purity, must show in
himself the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learning. Thus, should the first-born
of the Guardian of the Cause of God not manifest in himself the truth of the words:
-- "The child is the secret essence of its sire," that is, should he not inherit
of the spiritual within him (the Guardian of the Cause of God) and his glorious
lineage not be matched with a goodly character, then must he (the Guardian of
the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him. The
Hands of the Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons that shall
at all times be occupied in the important services of the work of the Guardian
of the Cause of God. The election of these nine must be carried either unanimously
or by majority from the company of the Hands of the Cause of God and these, whether
unanimously or by a majority vote, must give their assent to the choice of the
one whom the Guardian of the Cause of God hath chosen as his successor. This assent
must be given in such wise as the assenting and dissenting voices may not be distinguished
(i.e., secret ballot).
Hands of the
Cause of God
During His
own lifetime Baha'u'llah appointed a few tried and trusted friends to assist in
directing and promoting the work of the Movement, and gave them the title of Ayadiyi-Amru'llah
(lit. "Hands of the Cause of God"). Abdu'l-Baha makes provision in His Will for
the establishment of a permanent body of workers to serve the Cause and help the
Guardian of the Cause. He writes: -- O
friends! The Hands of the Cause of God must be nominated and appointed by the
Guardian of the Cause of God. ... The
obligations of the Hands of the Cause of God are to diffuse the Divine Fragrances,
to edify the souls of men, to promote learning, to improve the character of all
men and to be, at all times and under all conditions, sanctified and detached
from earthly things. They must manifest the fear of God in their conduct, their
manners, their deeds and their words.
This
body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the
direction of the Guardian of the Cause of God. He
must continually urge them to strive and endeavor
to the utmost of their ability to diffuse the sweet
savors of God, and to guide all the peoples of the
world, for it is the light of Divine Guidance that
causeth all the universe to be illumined.1
The
Administrative Order1
It
has been the general characteristic of religion that organization marks the interruption
of the true spiritual influence and serves to prevent the original impulse from
being carried into the world. The organization has invariably become a substitute
for religion rather than a method or an instrument used to give the religion effect.
The separation of peoples into different traditions unbridged by any peaceful
or constructive intercourse has made this inevitable. Up to the present time,
in fact, no Founder of a revealed religion has explicitly laid down the principles
that should guide the administrative machinery of the Faith He has established.
In the
Bahá'í Cause, the principles of world administration were expressed by Baha'u'llah,
and these principles were developed in the writings of Abdu'l-Baha, more especially
in His Will and Testament. The
purpose of this organization is to make possible a true and lasting unity among
peoples of different races, classes, interests, characters, and inherited creeds.
A close and sympathetic study of this aspect of the Bahá'í Cause will show that
the purpose and method of Bahá'í administration is so perfectly adapted to the
fundamental spirit of the Revelation that it bears to it the same relationship
as body to soul. In character, the principles of Bahá'í administration represent
the science of cooperation; in application, they provide for a new and higher
type of morality worldwide in scope. ... A
Bahá'í community differs from other voluntary gatherings in that its foundation
is so deeply laid and broadly extended that it can include any sincere soul. Whereas
other associations are exclusive, in effect if not in intention, and from method
if not from ideal, Bahá'í association is inclusive, shutting the gates of fellowship
to no sincere soul. In every gathering there is latent or developed some basis
of selection. In religion this basis is a creed limited by the historical nature
of its origin; in politics this is party or platform; in economics this is a mutual
misfortune or mutual power; in the arts and sciences this basis consists of special
training or activity or interest. In all these matters, the more exclusive the
basis of selection, the stronger the movement -- a condition diametrically opposed
to that existing in the Bahá'í Cause. Hence the Cause, for all its spirit of growth
and progress, develops slowly as regards the numbers of its active adherents.
For people are accustomed to exclusiveness and division in all affairs. The important
sanctions have ever been warrants and justifications of division. To enter the
Bahá'í Movement is to leave these sanctions behind -- an experience which at first
invariably exposes one to new trials and sufferings, as the human ego revolts
against the supreme sanction of universal love. The scientific must associate
with the simple and unlearned, the rich with the poor, the white with the colored,
the mystic with the literalist, the Christian with the Jew, the Muslim with the
Parsee: and on terms removing the advantage of long established presumptions and
privileges. But
for this difficult experience there are glorious compensations. Let us remember
that art grows sterile as it turns away from the common humanity, that philosophy
likewise loses its vision when developed in solitude, and that politics and religion
never succeed apart from the general needs of mankind. Human nature is not yet
known, for we have all lived in a state of mental, moral, emotional or social
defense, and the psychology of defense is the psychology of inhibition. But the
love of God removes fear; the removal of fear establishes the latent power, and
association with others in spiritual love brings these powers into vital, positive
expression. A Bahá'í community is a gathering where this process can take place
in this age, slowly at first, as the new impetus gathers force, more rapidly as
the members become conscious of the powers unfolding the flower of unity among
men. ... The
responsibility for and supervision of local Bahá'í affairs is vested in a body
known as the Spiritual Assembly. This body (limited to nine members) is elected
annually on April 21st, the first day of Ridvan (the Festival commemorating the
Declaration of Baha'u'llah) by the adult declared believers of the community,
the voting list being drawn up by the outgoing Spiritual Assembly. Concerning
the character and functions of this body, Abdu'l-Baha has written as follows:
-- It
is incumbent upon every one [every believer] not to take any step [of Bahá'í activity]
without consulting the Spiritual Assembly, and they must assuredly obey with heart
and soul its bidding and be submissive unto it, that things may be properly ordered
and well arranged. Otherwise every person will act independently and after his
own judgment, will follow his own desire, and do harm to the Cause. The
prime requisites for them that take counsel together are purity of motive, radiance
of spirit, detachment from all else save God, attrationg to His Divine Fragrances,
humility and lowliness amongst His loved ones, patience and long-suffering in
difficulties and servitude to His exalted Threshold. Should they be graciously
aided to acquire these attributes, victory from the unseen Kingdom of Baha shall
be vouchsafed to them. In this day, assemblies of consultation are of the greatest
importance and a vital necessity. Obedience unto them is essential and obligatory.
The members thereof must take counsel together in such wise that no occasion for
ill-feeling or discord may arise. This can be attained when every member expresseth
with absolute freedom his own opinion and must on no account feel hurt for not
until matters are fully discussed can the right way be revealed. The shining spark
of truth cometh forth only after the clash of differing opinions. If after discussion,
a decision be carried unanimously well and good; but if, the Lord forbid, differences
of opinion should arise, a majority of voices must prevail. ... The
first condition is absolute love and harmony amongst the members of the assembly.
They must be wholly free from estrangement and must manifest in themselves the
Unity of God, for they are the waves of one sea, the drops of one river, the stars
of one heaven, the rays of one sun, the trees of one orchard, the flowers of one
garden. Should harmony of thought and absolute unity be non-existent, that gathering
shall be dispersed and that assembly be brought to naught. The second condition:
-- They must when coming together turn their faces to the Kingdom on High and
ask aid from the Realm of Glory. ... Discussions must all be confined to spiritual
matters that pertain to the training of souls, the instruction of children, the
relief of the poor, the help of the feeble throughout all classes in the world,
kindness to all peoples, the diffusion of the fragrances of God and the exaltation
of His Holy Word. Should they endeavor to fulfill these conditions the Grace of
the Holy Spirit shall be vouchsafed unto them, and that assembly shall become
the center of the Divine blessings, the hosts of Divine confirmation shall come
to their aid, and they shall day by day receive a new effusion of Spirit.
Expounding this subject, Shoghi Effendi writes: --
...
nothing whatever should be given to the public by any individual among the friends,
unless fully considered and approved by the Spiritual Assembly in his locality;
and if this (as is undoubtedly the case) is a matter that pertains to the general
interest of the Cause in that land, then it is incumbent upon the Spiritual Assembly
to submit it to the consideration and approval of the national body representing
all the various local assemblies. Not only with regard to publication, but all
matters without any excerption whatsoever, regarding the interests of the Cause
in that locality, individually or collectively, should be referred exclusively
to the Spiritual Assembly in that locality, which shall decide upon it, unless
it be a matter of national interest, in which case it shall be referred to the
national [Bahá'í] body. With this national body also will rest the decision whether
a given question is of local or national interest. (By national affairs is not
meant matters that are political in their character, for the friends of God the
world over are strictly forbidden to meddle with political affairs in any way
whatsoever, but rather things that affect the spiritual activities of the body
of the friends in that land.) Full
harmony, however, as well as cooperation among the various local assemblies and
the members themselves, and particularly between each assembly and the national
body, is of the utmost importance, for upon it depends the unity of the Cause
of God, the solidarity of the friends, the full, speedy and efficient working
of the spiritual activities of His loved ones. ... The
various Assemblies, local and national, constitute today the bedrock upon the
strength of which the Universal House [of Justice] is in future to be firmly established
and raised. Not until these function vigorously and harmoniously can the hope
for the termination of this period of transition be realized. ... ...
bear in mind that the keynote of the Cause of God is not dictatorial authority
but humble fellowship, not arbitrary power, but the spirit of frank and loving
consultation. Nothing short of the spirit of a true Bahá'í can hope to reconcile
the principles of mercy and justice, of freedom and submission, of the sanctity
of the right of the individual and of self-surrender, of vigilance, discretion
and prudence on the one hand, and fellowship, candor and courage on the other.
The
local Spiritual Assemblies of a country are linked together and co-ordinating
through another elected body of nine members, the National Spiritual Assembly.
This body comes into being by means of an annual election held by elected delegates
representing the local Bahá'í communities. ... The National Convention in which
the delegates are gather together is composed of an elective body based upon the
principle of
proportional representation. ... These National Conventions are preferably held
during the period of Ridvan, the twelve days beginning April 21st which commemorate
the Declaration made by Baha'u'llah in the Garden of Ridvan near Baghdad. The
recognition of delegates is vested in the outgoing National Spiritual Assembly.
A National
Convention is an occasion for deepening one's understanding of Bahá'í activities
and of sharing reports of national and local activities for the period of the
elapsed year. ... The function of a Bahá'í delegate is limited to the duration
of the National Convention and participation in the election of the new National
Spiritual Assembly. While gathered together, the delegates are a consultative
and advisory body whose recommendations are to be carefully considered by the
members of the elected National Spiritual Assembly. ... The
relation of the National Spiritual Assembly to the local Spiritual Assemblies
and to the body of the believers in the country is thus defined in the letters
of the Guardian of the Cause: Regarding
the establishment of "National Assemblies," it is of vital importance that in
every country, where the conditions are favorable and the number of the friends
has grown and reached a considerable size ... that a "National Spiritual Assembly"
be immediately established, representative of the friends throughout that country.
Its
immediate purpose is to stimulate, unify and coordinate by frequent personal consultations,
the manifold activities of the friends as well as the local Assemblies; and by
keeping in close and constant touch with the Holy Land, initiate measures, and
direct in general the affairs of the Cause in that country. It
serves also another purpose, no less essential than the first, as in the course
of time it shall evolve into the National House of Justice (referred to in Abdu'l-Baha's
Will as the "secondary House of Justice"), which according to the explicit text
of the Testament will have, in conjunction with the other National Assemblies
throughout the Bahá'í world, to elect directly the members of the International
House of Justice, that Supreme Council that will guide, organize and unify the
affairs of the Movement throughout the world. ... This
National Spiritual Assembly, which, pending the establishment of the Universal
House of Justice, will have to be re-elected once a year, obviously assumes grave
responsibilities, for it has to exercise full authority over all the local Assemblies
in its province, and will have to direct the activities of the friends, guard
vigilantly the Cause of God, and control and supervise the affairs of the Movement
in general. Vital
issues, affecting the interests of the Cause in that country such as the matter
of translation and publication, the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, the Teaching Work, and
other similar matters that stand distinct from strictly local affairs, must be
under the full jurisdiction of the National Assembly. It
will have to refer each of these questions, even as the local Assemblies, to a
special Committee, to be elected by the members of the National Spiritual Assembly,
from among all the friends in that country, which will bear to it the same relation
as the local committees bear to their respective local Assemblies. With
it, too, rests the decision whether a certain point at issue is strictly local
in its nature, and should be reserved for the consideration and decision of the
local Assembly, or whether it should fall under its own province and be regarded
as a matter which ought to receive its special attention. ... ...
it is bounden duty, in the interest of the Cause we all love and serve, of the
members of the incoming National Assembly, once elected by the delegates at Convention
time, to seek and have the utmost regard, individually as well as collectively,
for the advice, the considered opinion and the true sentiments of the assembled
delegates. Banishing every vestige of secrecy, of undue reticence, of dictatorial
aloofness, from their midst, they should radiantly and abundantly unfold to the
eyes of the delegates, by whom they are elected, their plans, their hopes, and
their cares. They should familiarize the delegates with the various matters that
will have to be considered in the current year, and calmly and conscientiously
study and weigh the opinions and judgments of the delegates. The newly elected
National Assembly, during the few days when the Convention is in session and after
the dispersal of the delegates, should seek ways and means to cultivate understanding,
facilitate and maintain the exchange of views, deepen confidence, and vindicate
by every tangible evidence their one desire to serve and advance the common weal.
... The
National Spiritual Assembly, however, in view of the unavoidable limitations imposed
upon the convening of frequent and long-standing sessions of the Convention, will
have to retain in its hands the final decision on all matters that affect the
interests of the Cause ... such as the right to decide whether any local Assembly
is functioning in accordance with the principles laid down for the conduct and
the advancement of the Cause. ...
Concerning
the matter of drawing up the voting list to be used at the annual local Bahá'í
elections, the responsibility for this is placed upon each local Spiritual Assembly,
and as a guidance in the matter the Guardian has written the following: ...
to state very briefly and as adequately as present circumstances permit the principal
factors that must be taken into consideration before deciding whether a person
may be regarded as a true believer or not. Full recognition of the station of
the Forerunner, the Author, and the True Exemplar of the Bahá'í Cause, as set
forth in Abdu'l-Baha's Testament; unreserved acceptance of, and submission to,
whatsoever has been revealed by their Pen; loyal and steadfast adherence to every
clause of our Beloved's sacred Will; and close association with the spirit as
well as the form of the present day Bahá'í administration throughout the world
-- these I conceive to be the fundamental and primary considerations that must
be fairly, discreetly and thoughtfully ascertained before reaching such a vital
decision.
Abdu'l-Baha's
instructions provide for the further development of Bahá'í organization.
And
now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath
ordained as the source of all good and freed from
all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage,
that is, by the believers. Its members must be manifestations
of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and
understanding, must be steadfast in God's faith and
the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is
meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in
all countries a secondary House of Justice must be
instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice
must elect the members of the Universal one.1
Unto this body all things must be referred. It enacted
all ordinances and regulations that are not to be
found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all
the difficult problems are to be resolved and the
Guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and
the distinguished member for life of that body. Should
he not attend in person its deliberations, he must
appoint one to represent him. ... This House of Justice
enacteth the laws and the government enforceth them.
The legislative body must reinforce the executive,
the executive must aid and assist the legislative
body so that through the close union and harmony of
these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice
may become firm and strong, that all the regions of
the world may become even as Paradise itself. ...
...
Unto the Most Holy Book every one must turn and all that is not expressly recorded
therein must be referred to the Universal House of Justice. That which this body,
whether unanimously or by a majority doth carry, that is verily the Truth and
the Purpose of God Himself. Whoso doth deviate therefrom is verily of them that
love discord, hath shown forth malice and turned away from the Lord of the Covenant. Even
at the present time, the Bahá'ís in all parts of the world maintain an intimate
and cordial association by means of regular correspondence and individual visits.
This contact of members of different races, nationalities and religious traditions
is concrete proof that the burden of prejudice and the historical factors of division
can be entirely overcome through the spirit of oneness established by Baha'u'llah.
The World Order of Baha'u'llah The
larger implications of this order are explained by Shoghi Effendi in successive
communications addressed to the Bahá'í community since February, 1929: -- I
cannot refrain from appealing to them who stand identified with the Faith to disregard
the prevailing notions and the fleeting fashions of the day, and to realize as
never before that the exploded theories and the tottering institutions of present-day
civilization must needs appear in sharp contrast with those God-given institutions
which are destined to arise upon their ruin. ... For
Baha'u'llah ... has not only imbued mankind with a new and regenerating Spirit.
He has not merely enunciated certain universal principles, or propounded a particular
philosophy, however potent, sound and universal these may be. In addition to these
He, as well as Abdu'l-Baha after Him, has, unlike the Dispensations of the past,
clearly and specifically laid down a set of Laws, established definite institutions,
and provided for the essentials of a Divine Economy. These are destined to be
a pattern for future society, a supreme instrument for the establishment of the
Most Great Peace, and the one agency for the unification of the world, and the
proclamation of the reign of righteousness and justice upon the earth. ... Unlike
the Dispensation of Christ, unlike the Dispensation of Muhammad, unlike all the
Dispensations of the past, the apostles of Baha'u'llah in every land, wherever
they labor and toil, have before them in clear, in unequivocal and emphatic language,
all the laws, the regulations, the principles, the institutions, the guidance,
they require for the prosecution and consummation of their task. ... Therein lies
the distinguishing feature of the Bahá'í Revelation. Therein lies the strength
of the unity of the Faith, of the validity of a Revelation that claims not to
destroy or belittle previous Revelations, but to connect, unify, and fulfill them.
...
Feeble
though our Faith may now appear in the eyes of men, who either denounce it as
an offshoot of Islam, or contemptuously ignore it as one more of those obscure
sects that abound in the West, this priceless gem of Divine Revelation, now still
in its embryonic state, shall evolve within the shell of His law, and shall forge
ahead, undivided and unimpaired, till it embraces the whole of mankind. Only those
who have already recognized the supreme station of Baha'u'llah, only those whose
hearts have been touched by His love, and have become familiar with the potency
of His spirit, can adequately appreciate the value of this Divine Economy -- His
inestimable gift to mankind. -- March 21, 1930. It
is towards this goal -- the goal of a new World Order, Divine in origin, all-embracing
in scope, equitable in principle, challenging in its features -- that a harassed
humanity must strive. ...
How
pathetic indeed are the efforts of those leaders of
human institutions who, in utter disregard of the
spirit of the age, are striving to adjust national
processes, suited to the ancient days of self-contained
nations, to an age which must either achieve the unity
of the world, as adumbrated by Baha'u'llah, or perish.
At so critical an hour in the history of civilization
it behooves the leaders of all the nations of the
world, great and small, whether in the East or in
the West, whether victors or vanquished, to give heed
to the clarion call of Baha'u'llah and, thoroughly
imbued with a sense of world solidarity, the sine
quaa non of loyalty to His Cause, arise manfully to
carry out in its entirety the one remedial scheme
He, the Divine Physician, has prescribed for an ailing
humanity. Let them discard, one for all, every preconceived
idea, every national prejudice, and give heed to the
sublime counsel of Abdu'l-Baha, the authorized Expounder
of His teachings. You can best serve your country,
was Abdu'l-Baha's rejoinder1
to a high official in the service of the federal government
of the United States of America, who had questioned
Him as to the best manner in which he could promote
the interests of his government and people, if you
strive, in your capacity as a citizen of the world,
to assist in the eventual application of the principles
of federalism underlying the government of your own
country to the relationships now existing between
the peoples and nations of the world. ...
Some
form of a world Super-State must needs be evolved, in whose favor all the nations
of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to make war, certain rights
to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, except for purposes of
maintaining internal order within their respective dominions. Such a state will
have to include within its orbit an International Executive adequate to enforce
supreme and unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth;
a World Parliament whose members shall be elected by the people in their respective
countries and whose election shall be confirmed by their respective governments;
and a Supreme Tribunal whose judgment will have a binding effect even in such
cases where the parties concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case
to its consideration. A world community in which all economic barriers will have
been permanently demolished and the interdependence of Capital and Labor definitely
recognized; in which the clamor of religious fanaticism and strife will have been
forever stilled; in which the flame of racial animosity will have been finally
extinguished; in which a single code of international law -- the product of the
considered judgment of the world's federated representatives -- shall have as
its sanction the instant and coercive intervention of the combined forces of the
federated units; and finally a world community in which the fury of a capricious
and militant nationalism will have been transmuted into an abiding consciousness
of world citizenship -- such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline, the Order
anticipated by Baha'u'llah, an Order that shall come to be regarded as the fairest
fruit of a slowly maturing age. ... Let
there be no misgivings as to the animating purpose of the world-wide Law of Baha'u'llah.
Far from aiming at the subversion of the existing foundations of society, it seeks
to broaden its basis, to remold its institutions in a manner consonant with the
needs of an ever-changing world. It can conflict with no legitimate allegiances,
nor can it undermine essential loyalties. Its purpose is neither to stifle the
flame of a sane and intelligent patriotism in men's hearts, nor to abolish the
system of national autonomy so essential if the evils of excessive centralization
are to be avoided. It does not ignore, nor does it attempt to suppress, the diversity
of ethnical origins, of climate, of history, of language and tradition, of thought
and habit, that differentiate the peoples and nations of the world. It calls for
a wider loyalty, for a larger aspiration than any that has animated the human
race. ... The
call of Baha'u'llah is primarily directed against all forms of provincialism,
all insularities and prejudices. ...
For legal standards, political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard
the interests of humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the
preservation of the integrity of any particular law or doctrine. ... The
principle of the Oneness of Mankind -- the pivot round which all the teachings
of Baha'u'llah revolve -- is no mere outburst of ignorant emotionalism or an expression
of vague and pious hope. ... Its implications are deeper, its claims greater than
any which the Prophets of old were allowed to advance. Its message is applicable
not only to the individual, but concerns itself primarily with the nature of those
essential relationships that must bind all the states and nations as members of
one human family. ... It
represents the consummation of human evolution. ... That
the forces of a world catastrophe can alone precipitate such a new phase of human
thought is, alas, becoming increasingly apparent. ... Nothing
but a fiery ordeal, out of which humanity will emerge, chastened and prepared,
can succeed in implanting that sense of responsibility which the leaders of a
newborn age must arise to shoulder. ... Has
not Abdu'l-Baha Himself asserted in unequivocal language that "another war, fiercer
than the last, will assuredly break out"? -- November 28, 1931. This
Administrative Order ... will, as its component parts, its organic institutions,
begin to function with efficiency and vigor, assert its claim and demonstrate
its capacity to be regarded not only as the nucleus but the very pattern of the
New World Order destined to embrace in the fullness of time the whole of mankind.
... Alone
of all the Revelations gone before it this Faith has ... succeeded in raising
a structure which the bewildered followers of bankrupt and broken creeds might
well approach and critically examine, and seek, ere it is too late, the invulnerable
security of its world-embracing shelter. ... To
what else if not the power and majesty which this Administrative Order -- the
rudiments of the future all-enfolding Bahá'í Commonwealth -- is destined to manifest,
can these utterances of Baha'u'llah allude: "The world's equilibrium hath been
upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order.
Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique,
this wondrous System -- the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed." ...
The
Bahá'í Commonwealth of the future of which this vast Administrative Order is the
sole framework, is, both in theory and practice, not only unique in the entire
history of political institutions, but can find no parallel in the annals of any
of the world's recognized religious systems. No form of democratic government;
no system of autocracy or of dictatorship, whether monarchical or republican;
no intermediary scheme of a purely aristocratic order; nor even any of the recognized
types of theocracy, whether it be the Hebrew Commonwealth, or the various Christian
ecclesiastical organizations, or the Imamate or the Caliphate in Islam -- none
of these can be identified or be said to conform with the Administrative Order
which the master-hand of its perfect Architect has fashioned. ... Let
no one, while this System is still in its infancy, misconceive its character,
belittle its significance or misrepresent its purpose. The bedrock on which this
Administrative Order is founded is God's immutable Purpose for mankind in this
day. The Source from which it derives its inspiration is no one less than Baha'u'llah
Himself. ... The central, the underlying aim which animates it is the establishment
of the New World Order as adumbrated by Baha'u'llah. The methods it employs, the
standard it inculcates, incline it to neither East nor West, neither Jew nor Gentile,
neither rich nor poor, neither white nor colored. Its watchword is the unification
of the human race; its standard the "Most Great Peace." ... February 8, 1934.
The
contrast between the accumulating evidences of steady consolidation that accompany
the rise of the Administrative Order of the Faith of God, and the forces of disintegration
which batter at the fabric of a travailing society, is as clear as it is arresting.
Both within and outside the Bahá'í world the signs and tokens which, in a mysterious
manner, are heralding the birth of that World Order, the establishment of which
must signalize the Golden Age of the Cause of God, are growing and multiplying
day by day. ... "Soon,"
Baha'u'llah's own words proclaim it, "will the present day Order be rolled up,
and a new one spread out in its stead." ... The
Revelation of Baha'u'llah ... should ... be regarded as signalizing through its
advent the coming of age of the entire human race. It should be viewed not merely
as yet another spiritual revival in the ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not
only as a further stage in a chain of progressive Revelations, nor even as the
culmination of one of a series of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking
the last and highest stage in the stupendous evolution of man's collective life
on this planet. The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world
citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture ... should ... be
regarded, as far as this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits
in the organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay
must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to progress
and develop. ... The
unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha'u'llah, implies the establishment
of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely
and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the
personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely
and completely safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize
it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees of the
whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all the component
nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to regulate the life, satisfy
the needs and adjust the relationships of all races and peoples. A world executive,
backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and
apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic
unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will ajudicate and deliver its
compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the
various elements constituting this universal system. A mechanism of world intercommunication
will be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances and
restrictions, and functioning with marvelous swiftness and perfect regularity.
A world metropolis will act as the nerve center of a world civilization, the focus
towards which the unifying forces of life will converge and from which its energizing
influences will radiate. A world language will either be invented or chosen from
among the existing languages and will be taught in the schools of all the federated
nations as an auxiliary to their mother tongue. A world script, a world literature,
a uniform and universal system of currency, of weights and measures, will simplify
and facilitate intercourse and understanding among the nations and races of mankind.
In such a world society, science and religion, the two most potent forces in human
life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop. The press
will, under such a system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified
views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated by vested
interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated from the influence
of contending governments and peoples. The economic resources of the world will
be organized, its sources of raw materials will be tapped and fully utilized,
its markets will be coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products
will be equitably regulated. National
rivalries, hatred, and intrigues will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice
will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of
religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions
will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will
be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership
on the other, will disappear. The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war,
whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend
the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the
productivity of mankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of
scientific research, to the raising of the standard of physical health, to the
sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused
and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and
to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the
moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race. A
world federal system, ruling the whole earth and exercising unchallengeable authority
over its unimaginably vast resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both
the East and the West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent
on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the
planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice, whose life is
sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one
common Revelation -- such is the goal towards which humanity, impelled by the
unifying forces of life, is moving. ... The
whole of mankind is groaning, is dying to be led to unity, and to terminate its
age-long martyrdom. And yet it stubbornly refuses to embrace the light and acknowledge
the sovereign authority of the one Power that can extricate it from its entanglements,
and avert the woeful calamity that threatens to engulf it. ... Unification
of the whole of mankind is the hall-mark of the stage which human society is now
approaching. Unity of family, of tribe, of city-state, and nation have been successively
attempted and fully established. World unity is the goal towards which a harassed
humanity is striving. Nation-building has come to an end. The anarchy inherent
in state sovereignty is moving towards a climax. A world, growing to maturity,
must abandon this fetish, recognize the oneness and wholeness of human relationships,
and establish once for all the machinery that can best incarnate this fundamental
principle of its life. -- March 11, 1936.
[The above letters have been published in one volume entitled The World Order
of Baha'u'llah.]
Page
253: 1.
Lord Curzon, in his book, Persia and the Persian Question, published in 1892,
the year of Baha'u'llah's death, writes: -- "The
lowest estimate places the present number of Babis in Persia at half a million.
I am disposed to think, from conversations with persons well qualified to judge,
that the total is nearer one million. They are to be found in every walk of life,
from the ministers and nobles of the Court to the scavenger or the groom, not
the least arena of their activity being the Mussulman priesthood itself. ... "If
Babism continues to grow at its present rate of progression, a time may conceivably
come when it will oust Mohammedanism from the field in Persia. This, I think,
it would be unlikely to do, did it appear upon the ground under the flag of a
hostile faith. But since its recruits are won from the best soldiers of the garrison
whom it is attacking, there is greater reason to believe that it may ultimately
prevail." (Vol. i, pp. 449-502). [back] 2.
The number of Bahá'ís is increasing every year and by 1979 the number of localities
throughout the world where Bahá'ís reside has risen to over 103,000. (See Epilogue).
[back]
Page 261: 1.
The Local and National Houses of Justice are at the present time designated Local
and National Assemblies, as previously indicated. [back]
Page 263: 1.
Of the Hands of the Cause appointed by Shoghi Effendi during his thirty-six year
ministry, twenty-seven were living at the time of his passing. He also instituted,
in 1954, Auxiliary Boards to be appointed by the Hands and to be their deputies,
assistants and advisors. [back]
Page 264: 1.
This section on the Administrative Order is taken from the article on The Present-Day
Administration of the Bahá'í Faith by Horace Holley, published in 1933 in The
Bahá'í World, Volume V, p. 191 et seq. Passages in this article quoting from Bahá'í
writings have been replaced by newer translations where these are available. [back]
Page 272: 1.
The Universal House of Justice was elected for the first time in April 1986 by
the members of fifty-six National Spiritual Assemblies. [back]
Page 275: 1.
In the year 1912. [back]
Chapter 16
Baha'u'llah
and the New Era:
Epilogue Under
the inspired guidance of Shoghi Effendi the Bahá'í Cause grew steadily in size
and in the establishment of its Administrative Order, so that by 1951 there were
eleven functioning National Spiritual Assemblies. At that point the Guardian turned
to the development of the institutions of the Faith at its international level,
appointing the International Bahá'í Council, the forerunner of the Universal House
of Justice, and, shortly thereafter, the first contingent of the Hands of the
Cause of God. Hitherto Shoghi Effendi has raised certain eminent Bahá'ís to the
rank of Hands of the Cause posthumously, one of them being Dr. John E. Esslemont,
but it was only in 1951 that he adjudged the time ripe to begin the full development
of this important institution. In rapid succession between 1951 and 1957 he appointed
thirty-two Hands and extended the range of their activities, instituting in each
continent Auxiliary Boards consisting of believers and appointed by the Hands
to be their deputies, assistants and advisors. Twenty-seven of these Hands were
living at the time of his passing. Through
a series of letters, some addressed to Bahá'ís throughout the world, and others
to those in specific countries, the Guardian deepened their understanding of the
teachings, built up the administrative institutions of the Faith, trained the
believers in their correct and effective use, and in 1937 launched the American
Bahá'í Community on its implementation of the Divine Plan for the diffusion of
Baha'u'llah's Message. This Divine Plan had been revealed by Abdu'l-Baha in a
number of Tablets written during the years of the First World War and constitutes
the charter for the propagation of the Faith. Within
the framework of this charter a number of teaching plans were carried out, first
in the Western Hemisphere, then also in Europe, Asia, Australasia and AFrica until
in 1953
the Guardian called for a "decade-long, world-embracing, spiritual crusade" to
carry the Faith to all the remaining independent states and principal dependencies
of the world. In
1957, as the midway point of the crusade approached, the Guardian, exhausted by
thirty-six years of unremitting labor, died while on a visit to London. As
Shoghi Effendi had no heir, the work of the Faith after November 1957 was coordinated
and directed by the twenty-seven Hands of the Cause until the victorious completion
of the crusade in April 1963, at which time the first Universal House of Justice
was elected by the members of fifty-six National Spiritual Assemblies convened
at the Bahá'í World Center in Haifa by the Hands of the Cause. Immediately
following this historic election, Bahá'ís from all parts of the globe gathered
in London at the first World Congress of the Faith to celebrate the Centenary
of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah and to rejoice in the worldwide spread of His
Faith. The
supreme institution of the Faith today is the Universal House of Justice, created
by Baha'u'llah in His Most Holy Book, invested with authority to legislate on
all matters not covered in the Bahá'í Writings, and assured divine guidance in
the Sacred Text itself. Abdu'l-Baha, in His Will and testament, lays down the
method of election of the Universal House of Justice, define sits station and
duties more clearly, and asserts that it is under the direct guidance of the Bab
and Baha'u'llah and is the body to which all must turn. The
unique and distinguishing feature of the Bahá'í Faith is the Covenant of Baha'u'llah,
the bedrock upon which the Faith raises all its structures and bases its development.
Its uniqueness is that for the first time in religious history the Manifestation
of God, in clear and unambiguous language, provides for the authorized interpretation
of His Word, and ensures the continuity of the divinely appointed authority which
flows from the Source of the Faith. Interpretation
of Scripture has always in earlier religions been a most fertile source of schism.
Baha'u'llah, in the Book of His Covenant, vested in His eldest son, Abdu'l-Baha,
full
powers for the interpretation of His Writings and for the direction of His Cause.
Abdu'l-Baha, in His Will and Testament, appointed His eldest grandson, Shoghi
Effendi, Guardian of the Faith and sole interpreter of the Writings. There is
no priesthood within the Faith and no individual may claim special station or
guidance; authority is vested in institutions created within the Bahá'í Scriptures.
By
virtue of these unique provisions, the Faith of Baha'u'llah has been preserved
from schism, from the depredations of unauthorized leadership, and above all from
the infiltration of man-made doctrines and theories, which in the past have shattered
the unity of religions. Pure and inviolate, the revealed Word of Baha'u'llah,
with its authorized interpretation, remains throughout the Dispensation the uncorrupted
and incorruptible source of spiritual life to men. In
1968 the Universal House of Justice took action to provide for the future carrying
out of the specific functions of protection and propagation vested in the Hands
of the Cause, by the establishment of Continental Board of Counsellors. Each Board
consists of a number of Counsellors appointed by the Universal House of Justice,
and they work in close collaboration with the Hands of the Cause of God. The appointment
and direction of Auxiliary Boards is now the duty of the Boards of Counsellors,
and the activities of the Hands, of whom fourteen are still living, have been
extended to be worldwide. In June 1973 the Universal House of Justice established
in the Holy Land an International Teaching Centre and assigned it the activities
of the Continental Board of Counsellors and as liaison between them and the Universal
House of Justice. The
Guardian had written of future global teaching plans to be carried out under the
direction of the Universal House of Justice, and the first of these, a Nine Year
Plan, was launched in 1964. This was followed by a Five Year Plan terminating
at Ridvan 1979. At the present time, 1979, the Bahá'í Faith has been established
in 172 independent states. There are Bahá'ís living in over 103,000 localities
throughout the world; Bahá'í literature has been translated into over 650 languages;
the sixth and seventh
Bahá'í Temples are being built in India and Samoa; land for 123 other Temples
has been acquired; there are 125 National Spiritual Assemblies and 25,500 Local
Spiritual Assemblies. Bahá'ís are now energetically pursuing a Seven Year Plan
designed to further expand and consolidate the growth of the Faith throughout
the world. Most
encouraging of all has been the response of the masses in such places as Africa,
India, Southeast Asia and Latin America, where large numbers of the indigenous
peoples have begun to enter the Cause, bringing about a new stage in the development
of the administrative and social activities of the worldwide Bahá'í community.
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