WHERE IS WORLD THE KEY TO UNITY?
BY LOUISE DRAKE WRIGHT
THE curiosity of the world has recently been stirred by the discovery of what appears to be a ninth neighborly planet circling outside the orbit of Neptune. Such a discovery was made possible because a telescope powerful enough to sight an unknown member of our solar system had been constructed.
Fresh probabilities open unchallenged as the thought is entertained, and if it be verified, some of the careful calculations of the past that made a comfortable, orderly sequence for our minds to rest upon, may be subjected to changes as the presence, power, and light of this immense magnet, henceforth, would have to be taken into consideration.
As each noticeable discovery in the world of science urges new estimates of past assumptions in its field of knowledge and opens further possibilities, so in the realm of divine revelation each Light-bearer brings to judgment past concepts, and offers vast and beneficent reformations based upon adherence to fundamental, unchanging laws.
Now that achievements in natural science have in many ways outstripped imagination, advanced ideas are quite generally welcomed by persons of intelligence. We no longer imprison our Galileos of scientific adventure. But in the domain of divine investigation, where distrust, fear and condemnation prevail, primitive methods are still adhered to.
One of ineffable holiness, who in the past century offered the key to world unity and peace, was held a prisoner for forty years, suffering every calamity and indignity possible to endure. Nevertheless this Supreme Sun of celestial radiance arose unhindered by opposition, and is discernible to those who adjust the telescope of the spirit, the mind, to spiritual requirements and values, and turn its clear lens directly upon an all-inclusive, recent revelation of God.
This Sun of Truth arose in Persia and became known to the world through three successive individualized aspects, or vehicles of its significance. The first to be recognized was Mírzá ‘Alí Muḥammad who assumed the title of Báb1 and heralded the coming of a Divine Messenger whom He called Bahá’u’lláh.2
Then the Luminary Himself, a Manifestation of God, Bahá’u’lláh, revealed His presence and His message. He was known in Ṭihrán as Mirzá Ḥusayn ‘Alí.
Later His eldest son, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá,3 was accepted throughout the world as the definer and expounder of the Word of Bahá’u’lláh and the perfect exemplar of his Teachings.
The Spiritual supremacy and exquisite personality of the Báb immediately attracted large numbers of the Muḥammadan faith to His message after He announced Himself as Herald of “One Whom God will manifest.” Thousands of His followers so caught the flame of His unearthly quality and the high ecstasy of His inner beauty, that they suffered unspeakable martyrdom rather than be separated from the love of God shining through Him with such intensity. On the other hand it was quite inevitable that those who clung to orthodox tradition should passionately resent His resounding demands that they burn many of their books, do away with long cherished ritual and abolish time-honored superstitions. He also went into the minutest detail as to their manner of living, making strict rules as to what they should eat and training them carefully in much needed ways of personal cleanliness. He was a hurricane shaking the trees of their existence; a plough to upturn obstructing clods, long rigid and dry; tilling
————————
1Báb means, Gate or Door.
2Bahá’u’lláh means, Glory of God.
3‘Abdu’l-Bahá means, “Servant of Glory.”
[Page 406]
the
ground of their minds and hearts to
make ready for the momentous event rapidly
approaching. A Manifestation of God
was about to proclaim Himself. Who would
welcome Him? Not those imprisoned in a
dead past and surrounded by walls of
prejudice nor those filled with
self-righteousness.
He bade His followers to turn entirely to this Holy Being when He appeared and to obey Him implicitly. “At the time of His Manifestation there will be for them (the people) no greater paradise than belief in Him,” He wrote in “The Bayán.”
After this, “Dawning Point of Revelation,” the Báb, had opened highways of faith for the incoming of the Promised One, His immaculate young life was set at naught by His enemies and He was liberated, through martyrdom, from the cage of this world.
Since time began many of the religious books have reiterated certain sacred names which the prophets through their utterances and visions have kept before the minds of the people. Like long, vigorous roots running below the surface of the ground until drawn into the light and air to bear leaves and burst into bloom, these familiar ideas may be traced over vast periods of development until they impersonate in great beings who manifest God’s purpose and explain His Message.
How many generations of the Jews brooded over the hallowed name of the Messiah as a fulfilment of their hearts’ desire!
Finally He was born the Christ Child, The Word, The Son of God, at a period when spiritual comprehension was in its youthful stages, and it was not surprising that the Jews failed to recognize their deliverer in this throneless King.
In Hebrew records there are two other expressions that stand out prominently through the centuries: “The Lord of Hosts,” and, “The Covenant of God.” When at last humanity had acquired a more mature conception of its Maker, and had become capable of a closer union with Him, these inner conceptions assumed human form.
In the year 1863 Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed His mission to a few followers and afterward became known as One sent of God to unify mankind. He spoke of Himself as representing the “Lord of Hosts,” addressing humanity from the authoritative aspect of the Supreme Being whom Jesus Christ called upon as the Father.
The full significance of the “Covenant of God,” came into expression through the great Personage, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, “The Center of The Covenant.” He stood as a sign and witness to the truth revealed in this Day.
The outstanding events in the amazing history of Bahá’u’lláh are written that all may read those victorious though tragic pages. We know how the prison of ‘Akká became a mighty throne from which emanated His light to the world. It is said that in His Presence the strongest impression one received was a vivid realization of the tender solicitude and ineffable love of the heavenly Father. He came to awaken once more man’s potential divine nature and reveal to him the treasures stored therein. He wrote the following lines: “To gather jewels have I come to this world. If one speck of a jewel lie hid in a stone, and that stone be beyond the seven seas, until I have sought and found that jewel, My hand shall not stay from its search.”
Those who were blessed by a close view of Bahá’u’lláh’s daily life, tell of His unchanged poise and majesty, serenity and kindness during the long years of poignant calamity. Disaster never caused agitation; human circumstance, whether favorable or detrimental, was welcomed indiscriminately. The will of this “Prisoner” of the Sultan of Turkey and the Sháh of Persia was so powerful that messengers sent by those tyrannical rulers were not admitted to His Presence unless He read in their hearts worthy motives and granted them permission to enter.
Bahá’u’lláh told of His mission in numerous writings, such as this: “Rend asunder the veils of imagination, verily this is your Lord, the Mighty, the Omniscient! He hath come for the life of the world and for the union of whatever is upon the whole surface of the earth.”
Also, speaking of Himself as the Revealer He said: ‘His part is but to deliver this great and clear message.”
The delivery of so sublime a message
as[Page 407]
that
of the unity of mankind must have
been written not only by the “Supreme
Pen” in His Holy Book, but traced upon
the living page everlasting where those
eternal verities are indelibly inscribed
which man, in his slow, upward climbing
may, through the power of the Holy Spirit,
eventually reach and possess.
Each Manifestation, as the divine Physician, gauges the receptive capacity of the people of the world, and creates the fructifying environment in which His prophecies of future attainments and benefits may find expression in human affairs.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá has said that the Word of a Manifestation was not only a prophecy but that it was also a creation. In the “Tablet of Joseph,” Bahá’u’lláh wrote:—
“My demonstration was brought to its fulness and completion for all that are in the heavens and on the earth before I made Myself known, because it appeared with such wonderful condition that no one could find any way to delay or oppose.”
The unique genius of Bahá’u’lláh has brought to this chaotic world an indivisible, irresistible, indestructible, all-embracing, penetrative Plan. This divine Plan is not static, but dynamic and operative, and today is moving steadily, creatively through all avenues of life. Remoulding thought and feeling, arousing man’s slumbering, long-delayed, God-given aspirations through encouraging promises of triumphant achievement.
Bahá’u’lláh makes known that in a shorter time than any past experience can warrant, there will be established another order of international relationships built upon the bedrock of divine justice.
Bahá’u’lláh gave to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá a number of significant and mystical names:—the Center of the Covenant, the Ark of the Covenant, The Greatest Branch, the Mystery of God, the Master; and before ascending to His spiritual station on high, proclaimed that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was to be His successor, leaving in His will no uncertainty as to the meaning of this bestowal.
From the Tablet of the Branch:—“O people! Praise ye God for Its Manifestation (the Branch) for verily It (the Branch) is the Most Great Favor upon you and the Most Perfect Blessing upon you: and through Him every mouldering bone is quickened. Whosoever turns to Him hath surely turned unto God, and whosoever turns away from Him hath turned away from My Beauty, denied My Proof and is of those who transgress.”
Had it not been for the intimate acquaintance with the perfect life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and also His wealth of explanations regarding Bahá’u’lláh’s Station and Principles, the Bahá’í teachings might for centuries have stood too far removed from the comprehension of the creatures to have been grasped and put into operation. But through contact with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s unprecedented self-sacrifice and devotion, the people came close to a life they could partly understand and wholly adore. Through his explanations the Word of the Manifestation is tempered to the people’s capacity to receive.
The white light of the love of Bahá’u’lláh shining through the Center of the Covenant, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, breaks into rainbow colors of promise across the sky of eternal hope, and thus illumines all shades of intelligence.
In one of His Tablets ‘Abdu’l-Bahá speaks of that which he was particularly meant to represent. (Vol. II., p. 429.)
“O ye friends of God! . . . No one must believe that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is the ‘Second Coming of Christ,’ nay, rather, he must believe that He is the Manifestation of Servitude, the Main-spring of the unity of the human world, the Herald of the True One, with spiritual power throughout all regions, the Commentator of the Book according to the divine text, and the Ransom to each one of the believers of God in this transitory world.”
This “Main-spring of the unity of the
human world” wove for the earth a fresh
garment. The strong and skillful Weaver
moved with ceaseless, painstaking tread
through the warp and woof of existence to
blend and harmonize the countless, dissimilar
threads of life. Seekers for truth from
all religions, countries and peoples came
pouring to Him in endless streams. Hindus
of high and low caste found it possible to
lay aside long held prejudices, when they
sat side by side in the presence of
such[Page 408]
holiness.
The poor and neglected, He singled out as
doubly dear to Him, consoling
them with spiritual and material aid.
Warring Arab chiefs coming to have their
grievances justly settled, walked away together
in peace; great officials of the surrounding
regions and those representing various foreign
nations who were stationed in His
vicinity, came for consultation upon affairs
of state. Muḥammadan mullás sought His
interpretation of obscure passages in the
Qur’án; those of all religions brought their
intricate questions for Him to solve, either
through means of the enormous correspondence
always piled high about Him, or
through interviews with Him while He
lived in the prison town of ‘Akká; or later
when He travelled to far countries to
proclaim Bahá’u’lláh’s Cause, as well
as at His
home in Haifa, where He entertained
numerous pilgrims all the remaining years of
His life. His charity, loving kindness and
unerring wisdom guided and uplifted the
multitudes that ever pressed about Him.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s many years of devoted service to all humanity drew to a close on November the twenty-eighth, 1921, and the sanctified Tabernacle of His Spirit was placed within the beautiful, Sacred Shrine on Mount Carmel where the outermost garment of the Báb had lain for many years.
Ever at one in life purpose, the prophetic Star of annunciation, guided by the Sun of Truth, together with the following Moon of perfect reflection, shine as a single beacon light to usher in the new Day of God.
During the distress and grief occasioned by the thought that the revered figure of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá would walk upon earth no more, a keen realization of the many-sided nature of that loss presented itself. One particularly grave consideration immediately arose. The pivot around which the administrative ideals had begun to function so definitely had been removed, and a groping silence seemed to press upon the heart.
Then from Haifa came a reviving breath of assurance. Feelings of relief and gratitude went around the Bahá’í world as it became known that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in His Will had left a great inheritance.
His Will and Testament appointed a “Guardian of the Cause,” to direct its multitudinous affairs. He created and defined a new station of service in the world, with its nature, function, and grave responsibilities. “The Guardian of the Cause of God as well as the Universal House of Justice,” the Will read; and He named His eldest grand-son, Shoghi Effendi, a youth of but twenty-six years of age, as the one to initiate this highly difficult undertaking and to fulfil the sacred trust at the present time.
A few lines of the Will are here quoted:—
“O my loving friends! After the passing away of this wronged one, it is incumbent upon the Aghṣán?1 (branches), the Afnán1 (twigs) of the Sacred Lote Tree, the Hands (Pillars) of the Cause of God, and the loved ones of the Abhá 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 two off-shoots of the Tree of Holiness, as he is the sign of God, the Chosen Branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God. . . . He is the expounder of the Word 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 Abhá 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. . . . Whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth aside from him hath in truth deviated, separated himself and turned aside from God. . . .”
Nothing could have assured this generation more effectually of the victory of the Cause of World Unity in the near future, than the merciful provision of a succession of devoted adherents to the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh who, for many centuries, will “amplify and apply” His Word to the needs of humanity at the period of time in which each will occupy the centralizing position of Guardianship.
As we familiarize ourselves with the “essential character and distinguishing features
————————
1Persian words denoting family relationship.
The Central Hall in the Mansion at Bahjí.
[Page 410]
of
the world order as conceived and proclaimed
by Bahá’u’lláh,”1 conviction arises
that He offers to humanity the new and
much sought for key to world unity and
international agreement.
No other dispensation, “Can offer a parallel either to the system of Divine Economy, so thoroughly established by Bahá’u’lláh, or the safeguards He has provided for its preservation and advancement.”1
Bahá’u’lláh speaks with the authoritative voice of the prophet, also with the practical assurance of the scientist.
The next step toward establishing His World Commonwealth is entrusted to the resolute, comprehensive, vigilant care of Shoghi Effendi who is now living in the Holy Land at the foot of Mount Carmel. He is the “Master-Builder,” the one capable of making concrete, so mighty a structure as the “Universal House of Justice.” He is endowed from on high with the love,
————————
1“The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh,” by Shoghi Effendi.
insight, wisdom and power to inaugurate so stupendous an enterprise at this time of warring nations.
The Universal House of Justice will consist of a body of public servants chosen for their superior spiritual and mental endowments, and will, through organizing courts of arbitration in all countries, prepare the way for the establishment of unified action in world affairs.
Centuries ago our Lord Jesus Christ said of those who followed Him, “My sheep know My voice.” All who have recognized the voice of God, uttered by His Manifestation in this day, realize how inestimable is the gift to the Bahá’í Faith of the precious Guardian’s leadership in service. For Bahá’u’lláh’s abiding love continues to speak directly to mankind through the spiritually attuned, consecrated heart and balanced mind of Shoghi Effendi. Through The Guardian’s administrative genius “The Hands of Power” will begin to fashion the human habitation for the descent of the impregnable divine Plan.
