Chapter 17
[1] O friend, the heart is the dwelling of
eternal mysteries, make it not the home of fleeting fancies; waste not the
treasure of thy precious life in employment with this swiftly passing world.
Thou comest from the world of holiness - bind not thine heart to the earth;
thou art a dweller in the court of nearness - choose not the homeland of the
dust.
(Bahá'u'lláh: Seven Valleys and Four Valleys, Page: 35)
[2] I [Mr. Ives] came to know much later that
this was just his characteristically humble and tactful way of enlisting my
attention. He had long loved the teachings and his daily life was their
application.
[3] 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.
(Bahá'u'lláh: Prayers and Meditations, Pages: 262-263)
[4] Illumine, O my Lord, the eyes of Thy
servants, and brighten their hearts with the splendors of the light of Thy
knowledge, that they may apprehend the greatness of this most sublime station,
and recognize this most luminous Horizon, that haply the clamor of men may fail
to deter them from turning their gaze towards the effulgent light of Thy unity,
and to hinder them from setting their faces toward the Horizon of
detachment.
(Bahá'u'lláh: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 275)
[5] Head covering.
[6] And finally there emerges, though on a plane
of its own and in a category entirely apart from the one occupied by the twin
Figures that preceded Him, the vibrant, the magnetic personality of
Abdu'l-Bahá, reflecting to a degree that no man, however exalted his
station, can hope to rival, the glory and power with which They who are the
Manifestations of God are alone endowed.
(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, Pages: 97-98)
[7] Bahá'u'lláh, The
Seven Valleys
[8] Bahá'í Scriptures, p.
403.
[9] Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of
Abdu'l-Bahá, p.515
[10] The Prophets of God have founded the laws
of divine civilization. They have been the root and fundamental source of all
knowledge. They have established the principles of human brotherhood, of
fraternity, which is of various kinds - such as the fraternity of family, of
race, of nation and of ethical motives. These forms of fraternity, these bonds
of brotherhood, are merely temporal and transient in association. They do not
ensure harmony and are usually productive of disagreement. They do not prevent
warfare and strife; on the contrary, they are selfish, restricted and fruitful
causes of enmity and hatred among mankind. The spiritual brotherhood which is
enkindled and established through the breaths of the Holy Spirit unites nations
and removes the cause of warfare and strife. It transforms mankind into one
great family and establishes the foundations of the oneness of humanity. It
promulgates the spirit of international agreement and ensures universal peace.
Therefore, we must investigate the foundation of this heavenly fraternity.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 142)
[11] ...souls shall be perturbed as they make
mention of Me. For minds cannot grasp Me nor hearts contain Me.
(Bahá'u'lláh: Arabic Hidden Words, Page: 66)
[12] Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of
Universal Peace, pp. 129-133
[13] Trust in the favor of God. Look not at
your own capacities, for the divine bestowal can transform a drop into an
ocean; it can make a tiny seed a lofty tree. Verily, divine bestowals are like
the sea, and we are the fishes of that sea. The fishes must not look at
themselves; they must behold the ocean, which is vast and wonderful. Provision
for the sustenance of all is in this ocean; therefore, the divine bounties
encompass all, and love eternal shines upon all.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 131)
[14] Glory be unto Thee, O my God! Verily,
this Thy servant and this Thy maidservant have gathered under the shadow of Thy
mercy and they are united through Thy favor and generosity. O Lord! Assist them
in this Thy world and Thy kingdom and destine for them every good through Thy
bounty and grace. O Lord! Confirm them in Thy servitude and assist them in Thy
service. Suffer them to become the signs of Thy Name in Thy world and protect
them through Thy bestowals which are inexhaustible in this world and the world
to come. O Lord! They are supplicating the kingdom of Thy mercifulness and
invoking the realm of Thy singleness. Verily, they are married in obedience to
Thy command. Cause them to become the signs of harmony and unity until the end
of time. Verily, Thou art the Omnipotent, the Omnipresent and the Almighty!
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Bahá'í Prayers (US edition), Page: 107)
[15] Bahá'u'lláh,
Kitáb-i-Iqán (The Book of Certitude), p. 61.
[16] The first duty prescribed by God for His
servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Day Spring of His Revelation and
the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of
His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained
unto all good; and whoso is deprived thereof, hath gone astray, though he be
the author of every righteous deed. It behoveth every one who reacheth this
most sublime station, this summit of transcendent glory, to observe every
ordinance of Him Who is the Desire of the world. These twin duties are
inseparable. Neither is acceptable without the other. Thus hath it been decreed
by Him Who is the Source of Divine inspiration.
They whom God hath endued with insight will readily recognize that the
precepts laid down by God constitute the highest means for the maintenance of
order in the world and the security of its peoples. He that turneth away from
them, is accounted among the abject and foolish. We, verily, have commanded you
to refuse the dictates of your evil passions and corrupt desires, and not to
transgress the bounds which the Pen of the Most High hath fixed, for these are
the breath of life unto all created things. The seas of Divine wisdom and
divine utterance have risen under the breath of the breeze of the All-Merciful.
Hasten to drink your fill, O men of understanding!
(Bahá'u'lláh: Gleanings, Pages: 330-331)
[17] Esslemont, Bahá'u'lláh
and the New Era, p. 178
[18] Ibid.
[19] There are four kinds of love. The first
is the love that flows from God to man; it consists of the inexhaustible
graces, the Divine effulgence and heavenly illumination. Through this love the
world of being receives life. Through this love man is endowed with physical
existence, until, through the breath of the Holy Spirit - this same love - he
receives eternal life and becomes the image of the Living God. This love is the
origin of all the love in the world of creation.
The second is the love that flows from man to God. This is faith, attraction
to the Divine, enkindlement, progress, entrance into the Kingdom of God,
receiving the Bounties of God, illumination with the lights of the Kingdom.
This love is the origin of all philanthropy; this love causes the hearts of men
to reflect the rays of the Sun of Reality.
The third is the love of God towards the Self or Identity of God. This is
the transfiguration of His Beauty, the reflection of Himself in the mirror of
His Creation. This is the reality of love, the Ancient Love, the Eternal Love.
Through one ray of this Love all other love exists.
The fourth is the love of man for man. The love which exists between the
hearts of believers is prompted by the ideal of the unity of spirits. This love
is attained through the knowledge of God, so that men see the Divine Love
reflected in the heart. Each sees in the other the Beauty of God reflected in
the soul, and finding this point of similarity, they are attracted to one
another in love. This love will make all men the waves of one sea, this love
will make them all the stars of one heaven and the fruits of one tree. This
love will bring the realization of true accord, the foundation of real unity.
But the love which sometimes exists between friends is not (true) love,
because it is subject to transmutation; this is merely fascination. As the
breeze blows, the slender trees yield. If the wind is in the East the tree
leans to the West, and if the wind turns to the West the tree leans to the
East. This kind of love is originated by the accidental conditions of life.
This is not love, it is merely acquaintanceship; it is subject to change.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Paris Talks, Pages: 180-181)
[20] Seek with all your hearts this Heavenly
Light, so that you may be enabled to understand the realities, that you may
know the secret things of God, that the hidden ways may be made plain before
your eyes.
This light may be likened unto a mirror, and as a mirror reflects all that
is before it, so this Light shows to the eyes of our spirits all that exists in
God's Kingdom and causes the realities of things to be made visible. By the
help of this effulgent Light all the spiritual interpretation of the Holy
Writings has been made plain, the hidden things of God's Universe have become
manifest, and we have been enabled to comprehend the Divine purposes for
man.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Paris Talks, Pages: 69-70)
[21] In the Bahá'í terminology
it means the world around us, pressing upon us, contracting us and so
distracting our attention that we are apt to leave God out of our reckoning.
[22] Bahá'u'lláh,
Kitáb-i-Iqán (The Book of Certitude), pp. 29-31
[23] Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings
from Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 285
[24] Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven
Valleys
[25] Letter
[26] He made five addresses on May 2nd and
three on May 5th.
[27] Blessed is he that hath been enraptured
by My wondrous melodies and hath rent the veils asunder through the potency of
My might.
(Bahá'u'lláh: "Lawh-i-Aqdas" (sometimes referred to as Tablet to
the Christians), Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, Page: 7)
[28] Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven
Valleys
[29] ...distracted in search of the Friend.
(Bahá'u'lláh: The Seven Valleys and the Four
Valleys, Page: 6)
[30] Promulgation of Universal Peace,
Vol. II, p. 453.
[31] Consider how marvelous it was for a
prisoner under the eye and control of the Turks to arraign so boldly and
severely the very king who was responsible for His imprisonment. What power
this is! What greatness! Nowhere in history can the record of such a happening
be found.... Although a prisoner in a fortress, He paid no heed to these kings,
regarded not their power of life and death, but, on the contrary, addressed
them in plain and fearless language, announcing explicitly that the time would
come when their sovereignty would be brought low and His own dominion be
established.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages:
432-433)
[32] Bahá'u'lláh, speaking of
these very ones who were attacking and decrying Him, said, "They are My
heralds; they are the ones who are proclaiming My message and spreading My
Word. Pray that they may be multiplied, pray that their number may increase and
that they may cry out more loudly. The more they abuse Me by their words and
the greater their agitation, the more potent and mighty will be the efficacy of
the Cause of God, the more luminous the light of the Word and the greater the
radiance of the divine Sun. And eventually the gloomy darkness of the outer
world will disappear, and the light of reality will shine until the whole earth
will be effulgent with its glory."
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages:
436-437)
[33] I have offered up My soul and My body as
a sacrifice for God, the Lord of all worlds. Whoso hath known God shall know
none but Him, and he that feareth God shall be afraid of no one except Him,
though the powers of the whole earth rise up and be arrayed against him. I
speak naught except at His bidding, and follow not, through the power of God
and His might, except His truth. He, verily, shall recompense the truthful.
(Bahá'u'lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, Page: 126)
[34] This meeting of yours tonight is very
different in character. It is a universal gathering; it is heavenly and divine
in purpose because it serves the oneness of the world of humanity and promotes
international peace. It is devoted to the solidarity and brotherhood of the
human race, the spiritual welfare of mankind, unity of religious belief through
knowledge of God and the reconciliation of religious teaching with the
principles of science and reason. It promotes love and fraternity among all
humankind, seeks to abolish and destroy barriers which separate the human
family, proclaims the equality of man and woman, instills divine precepts and
morals, illumines and quickens minds with heavenly perception, attracts the
infinite bestowals of God, removes racial, national and religious prejudices
and establishes the foundation of the heavenly Kingdom in the hearts of all
nations and peoples.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 447)
[35] Bahá'u'lláh, The Seven
Valleys
[36] This meeting is, verily, the noblest and
most worthy of all meetings in the world because of these underlying spiritual
and universal purposes. Such a banquet and assemblage command the sincere
devotion of all present and invite the downpouring of the blessings of God.
Therefore, be ye assured and confident that the confirmations of God are
descending upon you, the assistance of God will be given unto you, the breaths
of the Holy Spirit will quicken you with a new life, the Sun of Reality will
shine gloriously upon you, and the fragrant breezes of the rose gardens of
divine mercy will waft through the windows of your souls. Be ye confident and
steadfast; your services are confirmed by the powers of heaven, for your
intentions are lofty, your purposes pure and worthy. God is the helper of those
souls whose aim is to serve humanity and whose efforts and endeavors are
devoted to the good and betterment of all mankind.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 448)
[37] Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of
Universal Peace, p. 448.
[38] Had He desired to save His own life, and
were He without wish to offer Himself in sacrifice, He would not have been able
to guide a single soul. There was no doubt that His blessed blood would be shed
and His body broken. Nevertheless, that Holy Soul accepted calamity and death
in His love for mankind. This is one of the meanings of sacrifice.
As to the second meaning: He said, "I am the living bread which came down
from heaven." It was not the body of Christ which came from heaven. His body
came from the womb of Mary, but the Christly perfections descended from heaven;
the reality of Christ came down from heaven. The Spirit of Christ and not the
body descended from heaven. The body of Christ was but human. There could be no
question that the physical body was born from the womb of Mary. But the reality
of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, the perfections of Christ all came from
heaven.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 450)
[39] As to the third meaning of sacrifice, it
is this: If you plant a seed in the ground, a tree will become manifest from
that seed. The seed sacrifices itself to the tree that will come from it. The
seed is outwardly lost, destroyed; but the same seed which is sacrificed will
be absorbed and embodied in the tree, its blossoms, fruit and branches. If the
identity of that seed had not been sacrificed to the tree which became manifest
from it, no branches, blossoms or fruits would have been forthcoming. Christ
outwardly disappeared. His personal identity became hidden from the eyes, even
as the identity of the seed disappeared; but the bounties, divine qualities and
perfections of Christ became manifest in the Christian community which Christ
founded through sacrificing Himself. When you look at the tree, you will
realize that the perfections, blessings, properties and beauty of the seed have
become manifest in the branches, twigs, blossoms and fruit; consequently, the
seed has sacrificed itself to the tree. Had it not done so, the tree would not
have come into existence. Christ, like unto the seed, sacrificed Himself for
the tree of Christianity. Therefore, His perfections, bounties, favors, lights
and graces became manifest in the Christian community, for the coming of which
He sacrificed Himself.
As to the fourth significance of sacrifice: It is the principle that a
reality sacrifices its own characteristics. Man must sever himself from the
influences of the world of matter, from the world of nature and its laws; for
the material world is the world of corruption and death. It is the world of
evil and darkness, of animalism and ferocity, bloodthirstiness, ambition and
avarice, of self-worship, egotism and passion; it is the world of nature. Man
must strip himself of all these imperfections, must sacrifice these tendencies
which are peculiar to the outer and material world of existence.
On the other hand, man must acquire heavenly qualities and attain divine
attributes. He must become the image and likeness of God. He must seek the
bounty of the eternal, become the manifestor of the love of God, the light of
guidance, the tree of life and the depository of the bounties of God. That is
to say, man must sacrifice the qualities and attributes of the world of nature
for the qualities and attributes of the world of God.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages:
451-452)
[40] For instance, consider the substance we
call iron. Observe its qualities; it is solid, black, cold. These are the
characteristics of iron. When the same iron absorbs heat from the fire, it
sacrifices its attribute of solidity for the attribute of fluidity. It
sacrifices its attribute of darkness for the attribute of light, which is a
quality of the fire. It sacrifices its attribute of coldness to the quality of
heat which the fire possesses so that in the iron there remains no solidity,
darkness or cold. It becomes illumined and transformed, having sacrificed its
qualities to the qualities and attributes of the fire.
Likewise, man, when separated and severed from the attributes of the world
of nature, sacrifices the qualities and exigencies of that mortal realm and
manifests the perfections of the Kingdom, just as the qualities of the iron
disappeared and the qualities of the fire appeared in their place.
Every man trained through the teachings of God and illumined by the light of
His guidance, who becomes a believer in God and His signs and is enkindled with
the fire of the love of God, sacrifices the imperfections of nature for the
sake of divine perfections. Consequently, every perfect person, every
illumined, heavenly individual stands in the station of sacrifice. It is my
hope that through the assistance and providence of God and through the bounties
of the Kingdom of Abhá you may be entirely severed from the
imperfections of the world of nature, purified from selfish, human desires,
receiving life from the Kingdom of Abhá and attaining heavenly graces.
May the divine light become manifest upon your faces, the fragrances of
holiness refresh your nostrils and the breath of the Holy Spirit quicken you
with eternal life.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 452)
[41] Ibid., p. 452
[42] Ibid., p. 287
[43] Ibid., p. 299
[44] Ibid., 453-457
[45] Addressing mankind, He says, "Ye are all
leaves of one tree and the fruits of one branch." By this it is meant that the
world of humanity is like a tree, the nations or peoples are the different
limbs or branches of that tree, and the individual human creatures are as the
fruits and blossoms thereof. In this way Bahá'u'lláh expressed
the oneness of humankind, whereas in all religious teachings of the past the
human world has been represented as divided into two parts: one known as the
people of the Book of God, or the pure tree, and the other the people of
infidelity and error, or the evil tree. The former were considered as belonging
to the faithful, and the others to the hosts of the irreligious and infidel -
one part of humanity the recipients of divine mercy, and the other the object
of the wrath of their Creator. Bahá'u'lláh removed this by
proclaiming the oneness of the world of humanity, and this principle is
specialized in His teachings, for He has submerged all mankind in the sea of
divine generosity. Some are asleep; they need to be awakened. Some are ailing;
they need to be healed. Some are immature as children; they need to be trained.
But all are recipients of the bounty and bestowals of God.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 454)
[46] Ibid., p. 450
[47] Bahá'u'lláh: Arabic
Hidden Words, p. 2
[48] Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of
Universal Peace, p. 455
[49] Ibid.
[50] Ibid.
[51] He has set forth the solution and
provided the remedy for the economic question. No religious Books of the past
Prophets speak of this important human problem.
He has ordained and established the House of Justice, which is endowed with
a political as well as a religious function, the consummate union and blending
of church and state. This institution is under the protecting power of
Bahá'u'lláh Himself. A universal, or international, House of
Justice shall also be organized. Its rulings shall be in accordance with the
commands and teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, and that which the
Universal House of Justice ordains shall be obeyed by all mankind. This
international House of Justice shall be appointed and organized from the Houses
of Justice of the whole world, and all the world shall come under its
administration.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 455)
[52] It is the ordination and appointment of
the Center of the Covenant. By this appointment and provision He has
safeguarded and protected the religion of God against differences and schisms,
making it impossible for anyone to create a new sect or faction of belief. To
ensure unity and agreement He has entered into a Covenant with all the people
of the world, including the interpreter and explainer of His teachings, so that
no one may interpret or explain the religion of God according to his own view
or opinion and thus create a sect founded upon his individual understanding of
the divine Words.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages:
455-456)
[53] Shoghi Effendi, World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 144
[54] Ibid., p. 146
[55] But the life of man is not so restricted;
it is divine, eternal, not mortal and sensual. For him a spiritual existence
and livelihood is prepared and ordained in the divine creative plan. His life
is intended to be a life of spiritual enjoyment to which the animal can never
attain. This enjoyment depends upon the acquisition of heavenly virtues. The
sublimity of man is his attainment of the knowledge of God. The bliss of man is
the acquiring of heavenly bestowals, which descend upon him in the outflow of
the bounty of God. The happiness of man is in the fragrance of the love of God.
This is the highest pinnacle of attainment in the human world.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 185)
[56] Bahá'u'lláh, The
Seven Valleys
[57] I offer supplication to the Kingdom of
Abhá and seek extraordinary blessings and confirmations in your behalf
in order that your tongues may become fluent, your hearts like clear mirrors
flooded with the rays of the Sun of Truth, your thoughts expanded, your
comprehension more vivid and that you may progress in the plane of human
perfections.
Until man acquires perfections himself, he will not be able to teach
perfections to others. Unless man attains life himself, he cannot convey life
to others. Unless he finds light, he cannot reflect light. We must, therefore,
endeavor ourselves to attain to the perfections of the world of humanity, lay
hold of everlasting life and seek the divine spirit in order that we may
thereby be enabled to confer life upon others, be enabled to breathe life into
others.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages:
457-458)
[58] Ibid., p. 460
[59] Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered
Questions, p. 267
[60] Lofty is the station of man! Not long ago
this exalted Word streamed forth from the treasury of Our Pen of Glory: Great
and blessed is this Day - the Day in which all that lay latent in man hath been
and will be made manifest. Lofty is the station of man, were he to hold fast to
righteousness and truth and to remain firm and steadfast in the Cause. In the
eyes of the All-Merciful a true man appeareth even as a firmament; its sun and
moon are his sight and hearing, and his shining and resplendent character its
stars. His is the loftiest station, and his influence educateth the world of
being.
(Bahá'u'lláh: "Kitáb-i-'Ahd," Tablets of
Bahá'u'lláh, Page: 220)
[61] Bahá'u'lláh, Words of
Wisdom
[62] Súratu'l-Haykal
[63] Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from
the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 319-320
[64] This is my last meeting with you, for now
I am on the ship ready to sail away. These are my final words of exhortation. I
have repeatedly summoned you to the cause of the unity of the world of
humanity, announcing that all mankind are the servants of the same God, that
God is the creator of all; He is the Provider and Life-giver; all are equally
beloved by Him and are His servants upon whom His mercy and compassion descend.
Therefore, you must manifest the greatest kindness and love toward the nations
of the world, setting aside fanaticism, abandoning religious, national and
racial prejudice.
The earth is one native land, one home; and all mankind are the children of
one Father. God has created them, and they are the recipients of His
compassion. Therefore, if anyone offends another, he offends God. It is the
wish of our heavenly Father that every heart should rejoice and be filled with
happiness, that we should live together in felicity and joy. The obstacle to
human happiness is racial or religious prejudice, the competitive struggle for
existence and inhumanity toward each other.
Your eyes have been illumined, your ears are attentive, your hearts knowing.
You must be free from prejudice and fanaticism, beholding no differences
between the races and religions. You must look to God, for He is the real
Shepherd, and all humanity are His sheep. He loves them and loves them equally.
As this is true, should the sheep quarrel among themselves? They should
manifest gratitude and thankfulness to God, and the best way to thank God is to
love one another.
Beware lest ye offend any heart, lest ye speak against anyone in his
absence, lest ye estrange yourselves from the servants of God. You must
consider all His servants as your own family and relations. Direct your whole
effort toward the happiness of those who are despondent, bestow food upon the
hungry, clothe the needy, and glorify the humble. Be a helper to every helpless
one, and manifest kindness to your fellow creatures in order that ye may attain
the good pleasure of God. This is conducive to the illumination of the world of
humanity and eternal felicity for yourselves. I seek from God everlasting glory
in your behalf; therefore, this is my prayer and exhortation.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages:
468-469)
[65] As to you: Your efforts must be lofty.
Exert yourselves with heart and soul so that, perchance, through your efforts
the light of universal peace may shine and this darkness of estrangement and
enmity may be dispelled from amongst men, that all men may become as one family
and consort together in love and kindness, that the East may assist the West
and the West give help to the East, for all are the inhabitants of one planet,
the people of one original native land and the flocks of one Shepherd.
Consider how the Prophets Who have been sent, the great souls who have
appeared and the sages who have arisen in the world have exhorted mankind to
unity and love. This has been the essence of their mission and teaching. This
has been the goal of their guidance and message. The Prophets, saints, seers
and philosophers have sacrificed their lives in order to establish these
principles and teachings amongst men. Consider the heedlessness of the world,
for notwithstanding the efforts and sufferings of the Prophets of God, the
nations and peoples are still engaged in hostility and fighting.
Notwithstanding the heavenly commandments to love one another, they are still
shedding each other's blood. How heedless and ignorant are the people of the
world! How gross the darkness which envelops them! Although they are the
children of a compassionate God, they continue to live and act in opposition to
His will and good pleasure. God is loving and kind to all men, and yet they
show the utmost enmity and hatred toward each other. God is the Giver of life
to them, and yet they constantly seek to destroy life. God blesses and protects
their homes; they rage, sack and destroy each other's homes. Consider their
ignorance and heedlessness!
Your duty is of another kind, for you are informed of the mysteries of God.
Your eyes are illumined; your ears are quickened with hearing. You must,
therefore, look toward each other and then toward mankind with the utmost love
and kindness. You have no excuse to bring before God if you fail to live
according to His command, for you are informed of that which constitutes the
good pleasure of God. You have heard His commandments and precepts. You must,
therefore, be kind to all men; you must even treat your enemies as your
friends. You must consider your evil-wishers as your well-wishers. Those who
are not agreeable toward you must be regarded as those who are congenial and
pleasant so that, perchance, this darkness of disagreement and conflict may
disappear from amongst men and the light of the divine may shine forth, so that
the Orient may be illumined and the Occident filled with fragrance, nay, so
that the East and West may embrace each other in love and deal with one another
in sympathy and affection. Until man reaches this high station, the world of
humanity shall not find rest, and eternal felicity shall not be attained. But
if man lives up to these divine commandments, this world of earth shall be
transformed into the world of heaven, and this material sphere shall be
converted into a paradise of glory. It is my hope that you may become
successful in this high calling so that like brilliant lamps you may cast light
upon the world of humanity and quicken and stir the body of existence like unto
a spirit of life. This is eternal glory. This is everlasting felicity. This is
immortal life. This is heavenly attainment. This is being created in the image
and likeness of God. And unto this I call you, praying to God to strengthen and
bless you.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Pages:
469-470)
[66] O kings of the earth! We see you
increasing every year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your
subjects. This, verily, is wholly and grossly unjust. Fear the sighs and tears
of this wronged One, and lay not excessive burdens on your peoples. Do not rob
them to rear palaces for yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye
choose for yourselves. Thus We unfold to your eyes that which profiteth you, if
ye but perceive. Your people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate
the commandments of God, and ye deliver your wards to the hands of the robber.
By them ye rule, by their means ye subsist, by their aid ye conquer. Yet, how
disdainfully ye look upon them! How strange, how very strange!
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.
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.
Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful.
Be united, O kings of the earth, for thereby will the tempest of discord be
stilled amongst you, and your peoples find rest, if ye be of them that
comprehend. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all
against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.
(Bahá'u'lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, Pages: 253-254)
[67] Shoghi Effendi, World Order of
Bahá'u'lláh, pp. 40-41
[68] Abdu'l-Bahá, Promulgation of
Universal Peace, p. 211
[69] Ibid., p. 43
[70] Among the institutes of the Holy Books is
that of the foundation of places of worship. That is to say, an edifice or
temple is to be built in order that humanity might find a place of meeting, and
this is to be conducive to unity and fellowship among them. The real temple is
the very Word of God; for to it all humanity must turn, and it is the center of
unity for all mankind. It is the collective center, the cause of accord and
communion of hearts, the sign of the solidarity of the human race, the source
of eternal life. Temples are the symbols of the divine uniting force so that
when the people gather there in the House of God they may recall the fact that
the law has been revealed for them and that the law is to unite them. They will
realize that just as this temple was founded for the unification of mankind,
the law preceding and creating it came forth in the manifest Word.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 65)
71 Italics are mine [Mr. Ives].
[72] Thou hast questioned how thou canst
accept this divine Cause, for thou art a member of the church. In the day of
the Manifestation of Christ, many souls became portionless and deprived because
they were members of the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem. According to that
membership, they became veiled from that brilliant Beauty. Therefore, turn thou
thy face to the Church of God which consists in divine instructions and
merciful exhortations. For what similarity is there between the church of stone
and cement and the celestial Holy of Holies!
Endeavor that thou mayest enter in this Church of God. Although thou has
given oath to attend the church, yet thy spirit is under the Covenant and
Testament of the spiritual Divine Church. Thou shouldst protect this. Although
they consider the wine and the bread in the church as the blood and body of
Christ, yet this is but the appearance and not the reality. But the reality of
Christ is the words of the Holy Spirit. If thou art able, take a portion
thereof.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Bahá'í World Faith, Page: 390)
[73] Bahá'u'lláh, Words of
Wisdom
74 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.
(Bahá'u'lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, Page: 255)
[75] The holy Manifestations of God come into
the world to dispel the darkness of the animal, or physical, nature of man, to
purify him from his imperfections in order that his heavenly and spiritual
nature may become quickened, his divine qualities awakened, his perfections
visible, his potential powers revealed and all the virtues of the world of
humanity latent within him may come to life.
(Abdu'l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, Page: 465)
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