Bahá’í World/Volume 9/Excerpts from Bahá’í Sacred Writings
III
BAHÁ’Í SACRED WRITINGS
1.
WORDS OF BAHA’U'LLAH
WITNESS how the world is being afflicted with a fresh calamity every day. Its tribulation is continually deepening. From the moment the Súriy-i-Ra’ís (Tablet to Ra’ís) was revealed until the present day, neither hath the world been tranquillized, nor have the hearts of its peoples been at rest. At one time it hath been agitated by contentions and disputes, at another it hath been convulsed by wars, and fallen a victim to inveterate diseases. Its sickness is approaching the stage of utter hopelessness, inasmuch as the true Physician is debarred from administering the remedy, whilst unskilled practitioners are regarded with favor, and are accorded full freedom to act. . . . The dust of sedition hath clouded the hearts of men, and blinded their eyes. Erelong, they will perceive the consequences of what their hands have wrought in the Day of God. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Informed, as bidden by One Who is the Most Powerful, the Almighty.
The Prophets of God should be regarded as physicians whose task is to foster the well-being of the world and its peoples, that, through the spirit of oneness, they may heal the sickness of a divided humanity. To none is given the right to question their words or disparage their conduct, for they are the only ones who can claim to have understood the patient and to have correctly diagnosed its ailments. No man, however acute his perception, can ever hope to teach the heights which the wisdom and understanding of the Divine Physician have attained.
The Path to God
How wondrous is the unity of the Living, the Ever-Abiding God—a unity which is exalted above all limitations, that transcendeth the comprehension of all created things! He hath, from everlasting, dwelt in His inaccessible habitation of holiness and glory, and will unto everlasting continue to be enthroned upon the heights of His independent sovereignty and grandeur. How lofty hath been His incorruptible Essence, how completely independent of the knowledge of all created things, and how immensely exalted will it remain above the praise of all the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth!
From the exalted source, and out of the essence of His favor and bounty, He hath entrusted every created thing with a sign of His knowledge, so that none of His creatures may be deprived of its share in expressing, each according to its capacity and rank, this knowledge. This sign is the mirror of His beauty in the world of creation. The greater the effort exerted for the refinement of this sublime and noble mirror, the more faithfully will it be made to reflect the glory of the names and attributes of God, and reveal the wonders of His signs and knowledge. Every created thing will be enabled (so great is this reflecting power) to reveal the potentialities of its pre-ordained station, will recognize its capacity and limitations, and will testify to the truth that "He, verily, is God; there is none other God besides Him.” . . .
That the heart is the throne, in which the
Revelation of God the All-Merciful is centered,
is attested by the holy utterances
which We have formerly revealed. Among
them is this saying: ”Earth and heaven
cannot contain Me; what can alone contain
Me is the heart of him that believeth in
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Me, and is faithful to My Cause.” How
often hath the human heart, which is the
recipient of the light of God and the seat
of the revelation of the All-Merciful, erred
from Him Who is the Source of that light
and the Well Spring of that revelation. It is
the waywardness of the heart that removeth
it far from God, and condemneth it to remoteness
from Him. Those hearts, however,
that are aware of His Presence, are close to
Him, and are to be regarded as having
drawn nigh unto His throne.
Consider, moreover, how frequently doth man become forgetful of his own self, whilst God remaineth, through His all-encompassing knowledge, aware of His creature, and continueth to shed upon him the manifest radiance of His glory. It is evident, therefore, that, in such circumstances, He is closer to him than his own self. He will, indeed, so remain for ever, for, whereas the one true God knoweth all things, perceiveth all things, and comprehendeth all things, mortal man is prone to err, and is ignorant of the mysteries that lie enfolded within him. . . .
Blessed are they that have soared on the wings of detachment and attained the station which, as ordained by God, overshadowed the entire creation, whom neither the vain imaginations of the learned, nor the multitude of the hosts of the earth have succeeded in deflecting from His Cause. Who is there among you, O people, who will renounce the world, and draw nigh unto God, the Lord of all names? Where is he to be found who, through the power of My name that transcendeth all created things, will cast away the things that men possess, and cling, with all his might, to the things which God, the Knower of the unseen and of the seen, hath bidden him observe? Thus hath His bounty been sent down unto men, His testimony fulfilled, and His proof shone forth above the Horizon of mercy. Rich is the prize that shall be won by him who hath believed and exclaimed: ”Lauded art Thou, O Beloved of all Worlds! Magnified be Thy name, O Thou the Desire of every understanding heart!”
Tear asunder, in My Name, the veils that have grievously blinded your vision, and, through the power born of your belief in the unity of God, scatter the idols of vain imitation. Enter, then, the holy paradise of the good-pleasure of the All-Merciful. Sanctify your souls from whatsoever is not of God, and taste ye the sweetness of rest within the pale of His vast and mighty Revelation, and beneath the shadow of His supreme and infallible authority. Suffer not yourselves to be wrapt in the dense veils of your selfish desires, inasmuch as I have perfected in every one of you My creation, so that the excellence of My handiwork may be fully revealed unto men. It follows, therefore, that every man hath been, and will continue to be, able of himself to appreciate the Beauty of God; the Glorified. Had he not been endowed with such a capacity, how could he be called to account for his failure? If, in the Day when all the peoples of the earth will be gathered together, any man should, whilst standing in the presence of God, be asked: “Wherefore hast thou disbelieved in My Beauty and turned away from My Self,” and if such a man should reply and say: “Inasmuch as all men have erred, and none hath been found willing to turn his face to the Truth, I, too, following their example, have grievously failed to recognize the Beauty of the Eternal,” such a plea will, assuredly, be rejected. For the faith of no man can be conditioned by any one except himself.
O My servants! It behoveth you to refresh and revive your souls through the gracious favors which, in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime, are being showered upon you. The Day Star of His great glory hath shed its radiance upon you, and the clouds of His limitless grace have overshadowed you. How high the reward of him that hath not deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in this, His new attire.
Say: O people! The Lamp of God is burning;
take heed, lest the fierce winds of your
disobedience extinguish its light. Now is the
time to arise and magnify the Lord, your
God. Strive not after bodily comforts, and
keep your heart pure and stainless. The Evil
One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you.
Gird yourselves against his wicked devices,
and, led by the light of the name of the one
true God, deliver yourselves from the darkness
that surroundeth you. Center your
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thoughts in the Well-Beloved, rather than in
your own selves.
The Paradise of His Presence
Release yourselves, O nightingales of God, from the thorns and brambles of wretchedness and misery, and wing your flight to the rose-garden of unfading splendor. O My friends that dwell upon the dust! Haste forth unto your celestial habitation. Announce unto yourselves the joyful tidings: "He Who is the Best-Beloved is come! He hath crowned Himself with the glory of God’s Revelation, and hath unlocked to the face of men the doors of His ancient Paradise.” Let all eyes rejoice, and let every ear be gladdened, for now is the time to gaze on His beauty, now is the fit time to hearken to His voice. Proclaim unto every longing lover: “Behold, your Well-Beloved hath come among men!” and to the messengers of the Monarch of love impart the tidings: “Lo, the Adored One hath appeared arrayed in the fullness of His glory!” O lovers of His beauty! Turn the anguish of your separation from Him into the joy of an everlasting reunion, and let the sweetness of His presence dissolve the bitterness of your remoteness from His court.
Behold how the manifold grace of God, which is being showered from the clouds of Divine glory, hath, in this day, encompassed the world. For whereas in days past every lover besought and searched after his Beloved, it is the Beloved Himself Who now is calling His lovers and is inviting them to attain His presence. Take heed lest ye forfeit so precious a favor; beware lest ye belittle so remarkable a token of His grace. Abandon not the incorruptible benefits, and be not content with that which perisheth. Lift up the veil that obscureth your vision, and dispel the darkness with which it is enveloped, that ye may gaze on the naked beauty of thc Beloved’s face, may behold that which no eye hath beheld, and hear that which no ear hath heard.
Hear Me, ye mortal birds! In the Rose Garden of changeless splendor a Flower hath begun to bloom, compared to which every other flower is but a thorn, and before the brightness of Whose glory the very essence of beauty must pale and wither. Arise, therefore, and, with the whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness of your souls, the full fervor of your will, and the concentrated efforts of your entire being, strive to attain the paradise of His presence, and endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the incorruptible Flower, to breathe the sweet savors of holiness, and to obtain a portion of this perfume of celestial glory. Whoso followeth this counsel will break his chains asunder, will taste the abandonment of enraptured love, will attain unto his heart’s desire, and will surrender his soul into the hands of his Beloved. Bursting through his cage, he will, even as the bird of the spirit, wing his flight to his holy and everlasting nest.
O My brother! When a true seeker determineth to take the step of search in the path leading unto the knowledge of the Ancient of Days, he must, before all else, cleanse his heart, which is the seat of the revelation of the inner mysteries of God, from the obscuring dust of all acquired knowledge, and the allusions of the embodiments of satanic fancy. He must purge his breast, which is the sanctuary of the abiding love of the Beloved, of every defilement, and sanctify his soul from all that pertaineth to water and clay, from all shadowy and ephemeral attachments. He must so cleanse his heart that no remnant of either love or hate may linger therein, lest that love blindly incline him to error, or that hate repel him away from the truth. Even as thou dost witness in this Day how most of the people, because of such love and hate, are bereft of the immortal Face, have strayed far from the Embodiments of the Divine mysteries, and, shepherdless, are roaming through the wilderness of oblivion and error.
That seeker must, at all times, put his
trust in God, must renounce the peoples of
the earth, must detach himself from the
world of dust, and cleave unto Him Who
is the Lord of Lords. He must never seek to
exalt himself above any one, must wash
away from the tablet of his heart every trace
of pride and vain-glory, must cling unto
patience and resignation, observe silence and
refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a
smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly
poison. Material fire consumeth the body,
whereas the fire of the tongue devoureth
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both heart and soul. The force of the former
lasteth but for a time, whilst the effects of
the latter endureth a century.
That seeker should, also, regard backbiting as grievous error, and keep himself aloof from its dominion, inasmuch as backbiting quencheth the light of the heart, and extinguisheth the light of the soul. He should be content with little, and be freed from all inordinate desire. He should treasure the companionship of them that have renounced the world, and regard avoidance of boastful and worldly people a precious benefit. At the dawn of every day he should commune with God, and, with all his soul, persevere in the quest of his Beloved. He should consume every wayward thought with the flame of His loving mention, and, with the swiftness of lightning, pass by all else save Him. He should succor the dispossessed, and never withhold his favor from the destitute. He should show kindness to animals, how much more unto his fellow-man, to him who is endowed with the power of utterance. He should not hesitate to offer up his life for his Beloved, nor allow the censure of the people to turn him away from the Truth. He should not wish for others that which he doth not wish for himself, nor promise that which he doth not fulfil. With all his heart he should avoid fellowship with evildoers and pray for the remission of their sins. He should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often hath a sinner attained, at the hour of death, to the essence of faith, and, quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken his flight unto the Concourse on high! And how often hath a devout believer, at the hour of his soul’s ascension, been so changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!
Our purpose in revealing these convincing and weighty utterances is to impress upon the seeker that he should regard all else beside God as transient, and count all things save Him, Who is the Object of all adoration, as utter nothingness.
These are among the attributes of the exalted, and constitute the hall-mark of the spiritually-minded. They have already been mentioned in connection with the requirements of the wayfarers that tread the path of Positive Knowledge. When the detached wayfarer and sincere seeker hath fulfilled these essential conditions, then and only then can he be called a true seeker. Whensoever he hath fulfilled the conditions implied in the verse: “Whoso maketh efforts for Us,” he shall enjoy the blessings conferred by the words: “In Our Ways shall We assuredly guide him.”
Only when the lamp of search, of earnest striving, of longing desire, of passionate devotion, of fervid love, of rapture, and ecstasy, is kindled within the seeker’s heart, and the breeze of His loving-kindness is wafted upon his soul, will the darkness of error be dispelled, the mists of doubts and misgivings be dissipated, and the lights of knowledge and certitude envelop his being. At that hour will the Mystic Herald, bearing the joyful tidings of the Spirit, shine forth from the City of God resplendent as the morn, and, through the trumpet-blast of knowledge, will awaken the heart, the soul, and the spirit from the slumber of heedlessness. Then will the manifold favors and outpouring grace of the holy and everlasting Spirit confer such new life upon the seeker that he will find himself endowed with a new eye, a new ear, a new heart, and a new mind. He will contemplate the manifest signs of the universe, and will penetrate the hidden mysteries of the soul. Gazing with the eye of God, he will perceive within every atom a door that leadeth him to the stations of absolute certitude. He will discover in all things the mysteries of Divine Revelation, and the evidences of an everlasting Manifestation. . . .
When the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all worldly and impeding attachments, it will unfailingly perceive the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude. . . .
They that valiantly labor in quest of God,
will, when once they have renounced all else
but Him, be so attached and wedded unto
that City, that a moment’s separation from
it would to them be unthinkable. They will
hearken unto infallible proofs from the
Hyacinth of that assembly, and will receive the
surest testimonies from the beauty of its
Rose, and the melody of its Nightingale.
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Once in about a thousand years shall this
City be renewed and readorned.
That City is none other than the Word of God revealed in every age and dispensation. In the days of Moses it was the Pentateuch; in the days of Jesus, the Gospel; in the days of Muḥammad, the Messenger of God, the Qur’án; in this day, the Bayán; and in the Dispensation of Him Whom God will make manifest, His own Book—the Book unto which all the Books of former Dispensations must needs be referred, the Book that standeth amongst them all transcendent and supreme.
Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer of the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of humility.
Beautify your tongues, O people, with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the ornament of honesty. Beware, O people, that ye deal not treacherously with any one. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His people. They that follow their lusts and corrupt inclinations, have erred and dissipated their efforts. They, indeed, are of the lost. Strive, O people, that your eyes may be directed towards the mercy of God, that your hearts may be attuned to His wondrous remembrance, that your souls may rest confidently upon His grace and bounty, that your feet may tread the path of His good-pleasure. Such are the counsels which I bequeath unto you. Would that ye might follow My counsels!
Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, that haply thou mayest guide thy neighbor to the law of God, the Most Merciful. Such an act, verily, excelleth all other acts in the sight of God, the All-Possessing, the Most High. Such must be thy steadfastness in the Cause of God, that no earthly thing whatsoever will have the power to deter thee from thy duty. Though the powers of earth be leagued against thee, though all men dispute with thee, thou must remain unshaken.
Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the Message of Him Who hath caused the Dawn of Divine Guidance to break. Consider, how the wind, faithful to that which God hath ordained, bloweth upon all the regions of the earth, be they inhabited or desolate. Neither the sight of desolation, nor the evidences of prosperity, can either pain or please it. It bloweth in every direction, as hidden by its Creator. So should be every one that claimeth to be a lover of the one true God. It behoveth him to fix his gaze upon the fundamentals of His Faith, and to labor diligently for its propagation. Wholly for the sake of God he should proclaim His Message, and with that same spirit accept whatever response his words may evoke in his hearer. He who shall accept and believe, shall receive his reward; and he who shall turn away, shall receive none other than his own punishment.
Do thou beseech God to enable thee to remain steadfast in this path, and to aid thee to guide the peoples of the world to Him Who is the manifest and sovereign Ruler, Who hath revealed Himself in a distinct attire, Who giveth utterance to a Divine and specific Message. This is the essence of faith and certitude. They that are the worshipers of the idol which their imaginations have carved, and who call it Inner Reality, such men are in truth accounted among the heathen. To this hath the All-Merciful borne
Bahá’u’lláh’s Passport.
At the time of His exile from Persia, in 1269 A.H., the above passport, made out in the name of Mírzá Ḥusayn ‘Alíy-i-Núrí, was issued to Bahá’u’lláh and His Family.
witness in His Tablets. He, verily, is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
The ordinances of God have been sent down from the heaven of His most august Revelation. All must diligently observe them. Man’s supreme distinction, his real advancement, his final victory, have always depended, and will continue to depend, upon them. Whose keepeth the commandments of God shall attain everlasting felicity.
A twofold obligation resteth upon him who hath recognized the Day Spring of the Unity of God, and acknowledged the truth of Him Who is the Manifestation of His oneness. The first in steadfastness in His love, such steadfastness that neither the clamor of the enemy nor the claims of the idle pretender can deter him from cleaving unto Him Who is the Eternal Truth, a steadfastness that taketh no account of them whatever. The second is strict observance of the laws He hath prescribed—laws which He hath always ordained, and will continue to ordain, unto men, and through which the truth may be distinguished and separated from falsehood.
By My Beauty! Nothing whatsoever shall, in this Day, be accepted from you, though ye continue to worship and prostrate yourselves before God throughout the eternity of His dominion. For all things that are dependent upon His Will, and the worth of all acts is conditioned upon His acceptance and pleasure. The whole universe is but a handful of clay in His grasp. Unless one recognizes God and loves Him, his cry shall not be heard by God in this Day. This is of the essence of His Faith, did ye but know it.
Know assuredly that just as thou firmly believest that the Word of God, exalted be His glory, endureth for ever, thou must, likewise, believe with undoubting faith that its meaning can never be exhausted. They who are its appointed interpreters, they whose hearts are the repositories of its secrets, are, however, the only ones who can comprehend its manifold wisdom. Whoso, while reading the Sacred Scriptures, is tempted to choose therefrom whatever may suit him with which to challenge the authority of the Representative of God among men, is indeed, as one dead, though to outward seeming he may walk and converse with his neighbor, and share with them their food and their drink. . . .
We beseech God to strengthen thee with His power, and enable thee to recognize Him Who is the Source of all knowledge, that thou mayest detach thyself from all human learning, for, “what would it profit any man to strive after learning when he hath already found and recognized Him Who is the Object of all knowledge?” Cleave to the Root of Knowledge, and to Him Who is the Fountain thereof, that thou mayest find thyself independent of all who claim to be well versed in human learning, and whose claim no clear proof, nor the testimony of any enlightening book, can support.
Intone, O My servant, the verses of God that have been received by thee, as intoned by them who have drawn nigh unto Him, 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, and shall cause the heart of every righteous man to throb.
Progress of the Soul
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.
And now concerning thy question whether
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human souls continue to be conscious one of
another after their separation from the body.
Know thou that the souls of the people of
Bahá, who have entered and been established
within the Crimson Ark, shall associate and
commune intimately one with another, and
shall be so closely associated in their lives,
their aspirations, their aims and strivings
as to be even as one soul. They are indeed
the ones who are well-informed, who are
keen-sighted, and who are endued with
understanding. Thus hath it been decreed by
Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
Know thou that all men have been created in the nature made by God, the Guardian, the Self-Subsisting. Unto each one hath been prescribed a pre-ordained measure, as decreed in God’s mighty and guarded Tablets. All that which ye potentially possess can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition.
Know thou that the soul of man is exalted above, and is independent of all infirmities of body or mind. That a sick person showeth signs of weakness is due to the hindrances that interpose themselves between his soul and his body, for the soul itself remaineth unaffected by any bodily ailments. Consider the light of the lamp. Though an external object may interfere with its radiance, the light itself continueth to shine with undiminished power. In like manner, every malady afflicting the body of man is an impediment that preventeth the soul from manifesting its inherent might and power. When it leaveth the body, however, it will evince such ascendancy, and reveal such influence as no force on earth can equal. Every pure, every refined and sanctified soul will be endowed with tremendous power, and shall rejoice with exceeding gladness.
Attainment of Peace and Tranquillity
The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring Wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.
We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.
How vast is the tabernacle of the Cause of God! It hath overshadowed all the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and will, erelong, gather together the whole of mankind beneath its shelter. Thy day of service is now come. Countless Tablets bear the testimony of the bounties vouchsafed unto thee. Arise for the triumph of My Cause, and, through the power of thine utterance, subdue the hearts of men. Thou must show forth that which will insure the peace and the well-being of the miserable and the down-trodden. Gird up the loins of thine endeavor, that perchance thou mayest release the captive from his chains, and enable him to attain unto true liberty.
Justice is, in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity groaneth beneath the yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have darkened the face of the earth, and enveloped its peoples. Through the movement of Our Pen of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regeneration. This is the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by the pen of this wronged One to mankind. Wherefore fear ye, O My well-beloved ones! Who is it that can dismay you? A touch of moisture sufficeth to dissolve the hardened clay out of which this perverse generation is molded. The mere act of your gathering together is enough to scatter the forces of these vain and worthless people. . . .
Every man of insight will, in this day, readily admit that the counsels which the Pen of this wronged One hath revealed constitute the supreme animating power for the advancement of the world and the exaltation of its peoples. Arise, O people, and, by the power of God’s might, resolve to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies—gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of, their wretched worshipers. These idols form the obstacle that impeded man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection. We cherish the hope that the Hand of Divine power may lend its assistance to mankind, and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement.
In one of the Tablets these words have been revealed: O people of God! Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly behavior. Valiant acts will insure the triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character will reinforce its power. Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Bahá! This, verily, is the commandment which this wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained Will for every one of you.
O friends! It behoveth you to refresh and revive your souls through the gracious favors which in this Divine, this soul-stirring Springtime are being showered upon you. The Day Star of His great glory hath shed its radiance upon you, and the clouds of His limitless grace have overshadowed you. How high the reward of him that hath not deprived himself of so great a bounty, nor failed to recognize the beauty of his Best-Beloved in this, His new attire. Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the darkness that surroundeth you. Let your vision be world-embracing, rather than confined to your own self. The Evil One is he that hindereth the rise and obstructeth the spiritual progress of the children of men. __________%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%—————————————
It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast unto whatsoever will promote the interests, and exalt the station, of all nations and just governments. Through each and every one of the verses which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed, the doors of love and unity have been unlocked and flung open to the face of men. We have erewhile declared—and Our Word is the truth—: “Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.” Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished. From the heaven of God’s Will, and for the purpose of ennobling the world of being and of elevating the minds and souls of men, hath been sent down that which is the most effective instrument for the education of the whole human race. The highest essence and most perfect expression of whatsoever the peoples of old have either said or written hath, through this most potent Revelation, been sent down from the heaven of the Will of the All-Possessing, the Ever-Abiding God. Of old it hath been revealed: "Love of one’s country is an element of the Faith of God.” The Tongue of Grandeur hath, however, 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.
O people of Justice! Be as brilliant as the light, and as splendid as the fire that blazed in the Burning Bush. The brightness of the fire of your love will no doubt fuse and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth, whilst the fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result in strife and ruin. We beseech God that He may shield His creatures from the evil designs of His enemies. He verily hath power over all things.
All-praise be to the one true God—exalted
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be His glory—inasmuch as He hath, through
the Pen of the Most High, unlocked the doors
of men’s hearts. Every verse which this Pen
hath revealed is a bright and shining portal
that discloseth the glories of a saintly and
pious life, of pure and stainless deeds. The
summons and the message which We gave
were never intended to reach or to benefit
one land or one people only. Mankind in its
entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever
hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it.
Then and only then will it attain unto true
liberty. The whole earth is illuminated with
the resplendent glory of God’s Revelation.
The One true God beareth Me witness, and His creatures will testify, that not for a moment did I allow Myself to be hidden from the eyes of men, nor did I consent to shield My person from their injury. Before the face of all men I have arisen, and bidden them fulfil My pleasure. My object is none other than the betterment of the world and the tranquillity of its peoples. The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established. This unity can never be achieved so long as the counsels which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed are suffered to pass unheeded.
Through the power of the words He hath uttered the whole of the human race can be illumined with the light of unity, and the remembrance of His Name is able to set on fire the hearts of all men, and burn away the veils that intervene between them and His glory. One righteous act is endowed with a potency that can so elevate the dust as to cause it to pass beyond the heaven of heavens. It can tear every bond asunder, and hath the power to restore the force that hath spent itself and vanished. . . .
Gird up the loins of your endeavor, O people of Bahá, that haply the tumult of religious dissension and strife that agitateth the peoples of the earth may be stilled, that every trace of it may be completely obliterated. For the love of God, and them that serve Him, arise to aid this most sublime and momentous Revelation. Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction.
The affairs of the people are placed in charge of the men of the House of Justice of God. They are the trustees of God among His servants and the day springs of command in His countries.
O people of God! The trainer of the world is Justice, for it consisteth of two pillars: Reward and Retribution. These two pillars are two fountains for the life of the people of the world. Inasmuch as for each time and day a particular decree and order is expedient, affairs are therefore entrusted to the ministers of the House of Justice, so that they may execute that which they deem advisable at the time. Those souls who arise to serve the Cause sincerely to please God will be inspired by the divine, invisible inspirations. It is incumbent upon all to obey.
Administrative affairs are all in charge of the House of Justice; but acts of worship must be observed according as they are revealed in the Book. . . . The ministers of the House of Justice must promote the Most Great Peace, in order that the world may be freed from onerous expenditure. This matter is obligatory and indispensable; for warfare and conflict are the foundation of trouble and distress.
Whose layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a lying impostor. We pray God that He may graciously assist him to retract and repudiate such claim. Should he repent, God will, no doubt, forgive him. If, however, he persisteth in his error, God will, assuredly, send down one who will deal mercilessly with him. Terrible, indeed, is God in punishing! Whosoever interpreteth this verse otherwise than its obvious meaning is deprived of the Spirit of God and of His mercy which encompasseth all created things. Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies. Nay, rather follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Wise.
The Covenant Thou Hast Established
Glorified art Thou, O my God! Thou
knowest that my sole aim in revealing Thy
Cause hath been to reveal Thee and not
myself, and to manifest Thy glory rather than
my glory. In Thy path, and to attain Thy
pleasure, I have scorned rest, joy, delight.
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At all times and under all conditions my
gaze hath been fixed on Thy precepts, and
mine eyes bent upon the things Thou hast
bidden me observe in Thy Tablets. I have
wakened every morning to the light of Thy
praise and Thy remembrance, and reached
every evening inhaling the fragrances of
Thy mercy.
And when the entire creation was stirred up, and the whole earth was convulsed, and the sweet savors of Thy name, the All-Praised, had almost ceased to breathe over Thy realms, and the winds of Thy mercy had well-nigh been stilled throughout Thy dominions, Thou didst, through the power of Thy might, raise me up among Thy servants, and bid me to show forth Thy sovereignty amidst Thy people. Therefore I arose before all Thy creatures, strengthened by Thy help and Thy power, and summoned all the multitudes unto Thee, and announced unto all Thy servants Thy favors and Thy gifts, and invited them to turn towards this Ocean, every drop of the waters of which crieth out, proclaiming unto all that are in heaven and on earth that He is, in truth, the Fountain of all life, and the Quickener of the entire creation, and the Object of the adoration of all worlds, and the Best-Beloved of every understanding heart, and the Desire of all them that are nigh unto Thee.
Though the fierce winds of the hatred of the wicked doers blew and beat on this Lamp, He was, at no time, in His love for Thy beauty, hindered from shedding the fragrance of His light. As the transgressions committed against Thee waxed greater and greater, my eagerness to reveal Thy Cause correspondingly increased, and as the tribulations deepened—and to this Thy glory beareth me witness—a fuller measure of Thy sovereignty and of Thy power was vouchsafed by me unto Thy creatures.
And finally, I was cast by the transgressors into the prison-city of ‘Akká, and my kindred were made captives in Baghdád. The power of Thy might beareth me Witness, O my God! Every trouble that hath touched me in Thy path hath added to my joy and increased my gladness. I swear by Thee, O Thou Who art the King of Kings! None of the kings of the earth hath power to hinder me from remembering Thee or from extolling Thy virtues. Were they to be leagued—as they have been leagued—against me, and to brandish their sharpest swords and most afflictive spears against me, I would not hesitate to magnify Thy name before all them that are in Thy heaven and on Thy earth. Nay rather, I would cry out and say: ”This, O my Beloved, is my face which I have offered up for Thy face, and this is my spirit which I have sacrificed for Thy spirit, and this is my blood that seetheth in my veins, in its longing to be shed for love of Thee and in Thy path.”
Though—as Thou beholdest me, O my God—I be dwelling in a place within whose walls no voice can be heard except the sound of the echo, though all the gates of ease and comfort be shut against us, and thick darkness appear to have encompassed us on every side, yet my soul hath been so inflamed by its love for Thee, that nothing whatever can either quench the fire of its love or abate the consuming flame of its desire. Lifting up its voice, it crieth aloud amidst Thy servants, and calleth them, at all times and under all conditions, unto Thee.
I beseech Thee, by Thy Most Great Name, to open the eyes of Thy servants, that they may behold Thee shining above the horizon of Thy majesty and glory, and that they may not be hindered by the croaking of the raven from hearkening to the voice of the Dove of Thy sublime oneness, nor be prevented by the corrupt waters from partaking of the pure wine of Thy bounty and the everlasting streams of Thy gifts.
Gather them, then, together around this Divine Law, the covenant of which Thou hast established with all Thy prophets and Thy messengers, and Whose ordinances Thou hast written down in Thy Tablets and Thy Scriptures, raise them up, moreover, to such heights as will enable them to perceive Thy call.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious.
Prayer for Union in the Law of God
Lauded be Thy name, O Lord my God!
Darkness hath fallen upon every land, and
the forces of mischief have encompassed all
the nations. Through them, however, I perceive
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the splendors of Thy wisdom, and discern
the brightness of the light of Thy
providence.
They that are shut out as by a veil from Thee have imagined that they have the power to put out Thy light, and to quench Thy fire, and to still the winds of Thy grace. Nay, and to this Thy might beareth me witness! Had not every tribulation been made the bearer of Thy wisdom, and every ordeal the vehicle of Thy providence, no one would have dared oppose us, though the powers of earth and heaven were to be leagued against us. Were I to unravel the wondrous mysteries of Thy wisdom which are laid bare before me, the reins of Thine enemies would be cleft asunder.
Glorified be Thou, then, O my God! I beseech Thee by Thy Most Great Name to assemble them that love Thee around the Law that streameth from the good-pleasure of Thy will, and to send down upon them what will assure their hearts.
Potent art Thou to do what pleaseth Thee. Thou art, verily, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
Tablets to the Kings
O kings of the earth! He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdom is God’s, the omnipotent Protector, the Self-Subsisting. Worship none but God, and, with radiant hearts, lift up your faces unto your Lord, the Lord of all names. This is a Revelation to which whatever ye possess can never be compared, could ye but know it.
We see you rejoicing in that which ye have amassed from others and shutting out yourselves from the worlds which naught except My guarded Tablet can reckon. The treasures ye have laid up have drawn you far away from your ultimate objective. This ill beseemeth you, could ye but understand it. Wash from your hearts all earthly defilements, and hasten to enter the Kingdom of your Lord, the Creator of earth and heaven, Who caused the world to tremble and all its peoples to wail, except them that have renounced all things and clung to that which the Hidden Tablet hath ordained.
This is the Day in which He Who held converse with God hath attained the light of the Ancient of Days, and quaffed the pure waters of reunion from this Cup that hath caused the seas to swell. Say: By the one true God! Sinai is circling round the Day Spring of Revelation, while from the heights of the Kingdom the Voice of the Spirit of God is heard proclaiming: “Bestir yourselves, ye proud ones of the earth, and hasten ye unto Him.” Carmel hath, in this Day, hastened in longing adoration to attain His court, whilst from the heart of Zion there cometh the cry: “The promise is fulfilled. That which had been announced in the holy Writ of God, the most Exalted, the Almighty, the Best-Beloved, is made manifest.”
O kings of the earth! The Most Great Law hath been revealed in this Spot, this scene of transcendent splendor. Every hidden thing hath been brought to light, by virtue of the Will of the Supreme Ordainer, He Who hath ushered in the Last Hour, through Whom the Moon hath been cleft, and every irrevocable decree expounded.
Ye are but vassals, O kings of the earth! He Who is the King of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous glory, and is summoning you unto Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Take heed lest pride deter you from recognizing the Source of Revelation, lest the things of this world shut you out as by a veil from Him Who is the Creator of heaven. Arise, and serve Him Who is the Desire of all nations, Who hath created you through a word from Him, and ordained you to be, for all time, the emblems of His sovereignty.
By the righteousness of God! It is not Our wish to lay hands on your kingdoms. Our mission is to seize and possess the hearts of men. Upon them the eyes of Bahá are fastened. To this testifieth the Kingdom of Names, could ye but comprehend it. Whose followeth his Lord, will renounce the world and all that is therein; how much greater, then, must be the detachment of Him Who holdeth so august a station! Forsake your palaces, and haste ye to gain admittance into His Kingdom. This, indeed, will profit you both in this world and in the next. To this testifieth the Lord of the realm on high, did ye but know it.
How great is the blessedness that awaiteth
the king who will arise to aid My Cause in
My Kingdom, who will detach himself from
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all else but Me! Such a king is numbered
with the companions of the Crimson Ark,
the Ark which God hath prepared for the
people of Bahá. All must glorify his name,
must reverence his station, and aid him to
unlock the cities with the keys of My Name,
the omnipotent Protector of all that inhabit
the visible and invisible kingdoms. Such a
king is the very eye of mankind, the luminous
ornament on the brow of creation, the
fountainhead of blessings unto the whole
world. Offer up, O people of Bahá, your
substance, may your very lives, for his assistance.
O kings of Christendom! Heard ye not the saying of Jesus, the Spirit of God, “I go away, and come again unto you”? Wherefore, then, did ye fail, when He did come again unto you in the clouds of heaven, to draw nigh unto Him, that ye might behold His face, and be of them that attained His Presence? In another passage He saith: “When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you unto all truth.” And yet, behold how, when He did bring the truth, ye refused to turn your faces towards Him, and persisted in disporting yourselves with your pastimes and fancies. Ye welcomed Him not, neither did ye seek His Presence, that ye might hear the verses of God from His own mouth, and partake of the manifold wisdom of the Almighty, the All-Glorious, the All-Wise. Ye have, by reason of your failure, hindered the breath of God from being wafted over you, and have withheld from your souls the sweetness of its fragrance. Ye continue roving with delight in the valley of your corrupt desires. Ye, and all ye possess, shall pass away. Ye shall, most certainly, return to God, and shall be called to account for your doings in the presence of Him Who shall gather together the entire creation . . .
Twenty years have passed, O kings, during which We have, each day, tasted the agony of a fresh tribulation. No one of them that were before Us hath endured the things We have endured. Would that ye could perceive it! They that rose up against Us have put Us to death, have shed Our blood, have plundered Our property, and violated Our honor. Though aware of most of Our afflictions, ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the aggressor. For is it not your clear duty to restrain the tyranny of the oppressor, and to deal equitably with your subjects, that your high sense of justice may be fully demonstrated to all mankind? . . . God hath committed into your hands the reins of the government of the people, that ye may rule with justice over them, safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, and punish the wrong-doers. If ye neglect the duty prescribed unto you by God in His Book, your names shall be numbered with those of the unjust in His sight. Grievous, indeed, will be your error. Cleave ye to that which your imaginations have devised, and cast behind your backs the commandments of God, the Most Exalted, the Inaccessible, the All-Compelling, the Almighty? Cast away the things ye possess, and cling to that which God hath bidden you observe. Seek ye His grace, for he that seeketh it treadeth His straight Path.
Consider the state in which We are, and behold ye the ills and troubles that have tried Us. Neglect Us not, though it be for a moment, and judge ye between Us and Our enemies with equity. This will, surely, be a manifest advantage unto you. Thus do We relate to you Our tale, and recount the things that have befallen Us, that ye might take off Our ills and ease Our burden. Let him who will, relieve Us from Our trouble; and as to him that willeth not, My Lord is assuredly the best of helpers.
Warn and acquaint the people, O Servant, with the things We have sent down unto Thee, and let the fear of no one dismay Thee, and be Thou not of them that waver. The day is approaching when God will have exalted His Cause and magnified His testimony in the eyes of all who are in the heavens and all who are on the earth. Place, in all circumstances, Thy whole trust in Thy Lord, and fix Thy gaze upon Him, and turn away from all them that repudiate His truth. Let God, Thy Lord, be Thy sufficing Succorer and Helper. We have pledged Ourself 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. . . .
Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of
the earth, He, in that same Tablet has
revealed, and beware that ye transgress not
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the bounds which the Almighty has fixed.
Observe the injunctions laid upon you in
His Book, and take good heed not to
overstep their limits. Be vigilant, that ye may
not do injustice to anyone, be it to the extent
of a grain of mustard seed. Tread ye the
path of justice, for this, verily, is the straight
path. Compose your differences, and reduce
your armaments, that the burden of your
expenditures may be lightened, and that
your minds and hearts may be tranquilized.
Heal the dissensions that divide you, and ye
Will no longer be in need of any armaments
except what the protection of your cities and
territories demandeth. Fear ye God, and
take heed not to outstrip the bounds of
moderation, and be numbered among the
extravagant. We have learned that you
are increasing your outlay every year,
and are laying the
burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily,
is more than they can bear, and is a grievous
injustice. Decide justly between men, and
be ye the emblems of justice amongst them.
This, if ye judge fairly, is the thing that
behooveth you, and beseemeth your station.
Beware not to deal unjustly with any one that appealeth to you, and entereth beneath your shadow. Walk ye in the fear of God, and be ye of them that lead a godly life. Rest not on your power, your armies, and treasures. Put your whole trust and confidence in God, Who hath created you, and seek ye His help in all your affairs. Succor cometh from Him alone. He succoreth whom He willeth with the hosts of the heavens and of the earth.
Know ye that the poor are the trust of God in your midst. Watch that ye betray not His trust, that ye deal not unjustly with them and that ye walk not in the ways of the treacherous. Ye Will most certainly be called upon to answer for His trust on the day when the Balance of Justice shall be set, the day when unto every one shall be rendered his due, when the doings of all men, be they rich or poor, shall be weighed.
If ye pay no heed unto the counsels which, in peerless and unequivocal language, We have revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every direction, and the sentence of His justice shall be pronounced against you. On that day ye shall have no power to resist Him, and shall recognize your own impotence. Have mercy on yourselves and on those beneath you. Judge ye between them according to the precepts prescribed by God in His most holy and exalted Tablet, a Tablet wherein He hath assigned to each and every thing its settled measure, in which He hath given, with distinctness, an explanation of all things, and which is in itself a monition unto them that believe in Him.
Examine Our Cause, inquire into the things that have befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies, and be ye of them that act equitably towards their neighbor. If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the down-trodden, what right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men? What is it of which ye can rightly boast? Is it on your food and your drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in your treasures, on the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye deck yourselves? If true glory were to consist in the possession of such perishable things, then the earth on which ye walk must needs vaunt itself over you, because it supplieth you, and bestoweth upon you these very things, by the decree of the Almighty. In its bowels are contained, according to what God hath ordained, all that ye possess. From it, as a sign of His mercy, ye derive your riches. Behold then your state, the thing in which ye glory! Would that ye could perceive it!
Nay! By Him Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of the entire creation! Nowhere doth your true and abiding glory reside except in your firm adherence unto the precepts of God, your wholehearted observance of His laws, your resolution to see that they do not remain unenforced, and to pursue steadfastly the right course. . . .
O Kings of the earth! Give ear unto the Voice of God, calling from this sublime, this fruit—laden Tree, that hath sprung out of the Crimson Hill, upon the holy Plain, intoning the words: “There is none other God but He, the Mighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Wise.” . . . Fear God, O concourse of kings and suffer not yourselves to be deprived of this most sublime grace. Fling away, then, the things ye possess, and take fast hold on the Handle of God, the Exalted, the
An old photograph of the Barrack Square in Tabríz, where the Báb was martyred in 1850. Around the border is written a poem in Persian.
Great. Set your hearts towards the Face of God, and abandon that which your desires have bidden you to follow, and be not of those who perish. Relate unto them, O servant, the story of ‘Alí (the Báb), when He came unto them with truth, bearing His glorious and weighty Book, and holding in His hands a testimony and proof from God, and holy and blessed tokens from Him. Ye, however, O kings, have failed to heed the Remembrance of God in His days and to be guided by the lights which arose and shone forth above the horizon of a resplendent Heaven. Ye examined not His Cause when so to do would have been better for you than all that the sun shineth upon, could ye but perceive it. Ye remained careless until the divines of Persia—those cruel ones—pronounced judgment against Him, and unjustly slew Him. His spirit ascended unto God, and the eyes of the inmates of Paradise and the angels that are nigh unto Him wept sore by reason of this cruelty. Beware that ye be not careless henceforth as ye have been careless aforetime. Return, then, unto God, your Maker, and be not of the heedless . . .
My face hath come forth from the veils,
and shed its radiance upon all that is in
heaven and on earth; and yet, ye turned not
towards Him, notwithstanding that ye were
created for Him, O concourse of kings!
Follow, therefore, that which I speak unto
you, and hearken unto it with your hearts,
and be not of such as have turned aside.
For your glory consisteth not in your
sovereignty, but rather in your nearness unto
God and your observance of His command
as sent down in His holy and preserved
Tablets. Should any one of you rule over
the whole earth, and over all that lieth
within it and upon it, its seas, its lands, its
mountains, and its plains, and yet be not
remembered by God, all these would profit
him not, could ye but know it . . . Arise,
then, and make steadfast your feet, and make
ye amends for that which hath escaped you,
and set then yourselves towards His holy
Court, on the shore of His mighty Ocean,
so that the pearls of knowledge and wisdom,
which God hath stored up within the shell
of His radiant heart, may be revealed unto
you . . . Beware lest ye hinder the breeze of
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God from blowing over your hearts, the breeze through which the hearts of such as have turned unto Him can be quickened . . .
Hearken, O King (Sultán ‘Abdu’l-‘Azíz) , to the speech of Him that speaketh the truth, Him that doth not ask thee to recompense Him with the things God hath chosen to bestow upon thee, Him Who unerringly treadeth the straight Path. He it is Who summoneth thee unto God, thy Lord, Who showeth thee the right course, the way that leadeth to true felicity, that haply thou mayest be of them with whom it shall be well. . . .
Beware, O King, that thou gather not around thee such ministers as follow the desires of a corrupt inclination, as have cast behind their backs that which hath been committed into their hands and manifestly betrayed their trust. Be bounteous to others as God hath been bounteous to thee, and abandon not the interests of thy people to the mercy of such ministers as these. Lay not aside the fear of God, and be thou of them that act uprightly. Gather around thee those ministers from whom thou canst perceive the fragrance of faith and of justice, and take thou counsel with them, and choose whatever is best in thy sight, ahd be of them that act generously.
Know thou for a certainty that whoso disbelieveth in God is neither trustworthy nor truthful. This, indeed, is the truth, the undoubted truth. He that acteth treacherously towards God will, also, act treacherously towards his king. Nothing whatever can deter such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him from betraying his neighbor, nothing can induce him to walk uprightly.
Take heed that thou resign not the reins of the affairs of thy state into the hands of others, and repose not thy confidence in ministers unworthy of thy trust, and be not of them that live in heedlessness. Shun them whose hearts are turned away from thee, and place not thy confidence in them, and entrust them not with thine affairs and the affairs of such as profess thy faith. Beware that thou allow not the wolf to become the shepherd of God’s flock, and surrender not the fate of His loved ones to the mercy of the malicious. Expect not that they who violate the ordinances of God will be trustworthy or sincere in the faith they profess. Avoid them and preserve strict guard over thyself, lest their devices and mischief hurt thee. Turn away from them and fix thy gaze upon God, thy Lord, the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful. . . . He that giveth up himself wholly to God, God shall, assuredly, be with him; and he that placeth his complete trust in God, God shall, verily, protect him from whatsoever may harm him, and shield him from the wickedness of every evil plotter.
Wert thou to incline thine ear unto My speech and observe My counsel, God would exalt thee to so eminent a position that the designs of no man on the whole earth could ever touch or hurt thee. Observe, O King, with thine inmost heart and with thy whole being, the precepts of God, and walk not in the paths of the oppressor. Seize thou, and hold firmly within the grasp of thy might, the reins of the affairs of thy people, and examine in person whatever pertaineth unto them. Let nothing escape thee, for therein lieth the highest good.
Render thanks unto God for having chosen thee out of the whole world, and made thee king over them that profess thy faith. It well beseemeth thee to appreciate the wondrous favors with which God hath favored thee, and to magnify continually His name. Thou canst best praise Him if thou lovest His loved ones, and dost safeguard and protect His servants from the mischief of the treacherous, that none may any longer oppress them. Thou shouldst, moreover, arise to enforce the law of God amongst them, that thou mayest be of those who are firmly established in His law.
Shouldst thou cause rivers of justice to spread their, waters amongst thy subjects, God would surely aid thee with the hosts of the unseen and of the seen, and would strengthen thee in thine affairs. No God is there but Him. All creation and its empire are His. Unto Him return the works of the faithful.
Place not thy reliance on thy treasures. Put thy whole confidence in the grace of God, thy Lord. Let Him be thy trust in whatever thou doest, and be of them that have submitted themselves to His Will. Let Him be thy helper and enrich thyself with
his treasures, for with Him are the treasuries of the heavens and of the earth. He bestoweth them upon whom He will, and from whom He will He withholdeth them. There is none other God but Him, the All-Possessing, the All-Praised. All are but paupers at the door of His mercy; all are helpless before the revelation of His sovereignty, and beseech His favors.
Overstep not the bounds of moderation, and deal justly with them that serve thee. Bestow upon them according to their needs, and not to the extent that will enable them to lay up riches for themselves, to deck their persons, to embellish their homes, to acquire the things that are of no benefit unto them, and to be numbered with the extravagant. Deal With them with undeviating justice, so that none among them may either suffer want, or be pampered with luxuries. This is but manifest justice.
Allow not the abject to rule over and dominate them who are noble and worthy of honor, and suffer not the high-minded to be at the mercy of the contemptible and worthless, for this is what We observed upon Our arrival in the City (Constantinople), and to it we bear witness. We found among its inhabitants some who were possessed of an affluent fortune and lived in the midst of excessive riches, while others were in dire want and abject poverty. This ill beseemeth thy sovereignty, and is unworthy of thy rank.
Let My counsel be acceptable to thee, and strive thou to rule with equity among men, that God may exalt thy name and spread abroad the fame of thy justice in all the world. Beware lest thou aggrandize thy ministers at the expense of thy subjects. Fear the sighs of the poor and of the upright in heart who, at every break of day, bewail their plight, and be unto them a benignant sovereign. They, verily, are thy treasures on earth. It behoveth thee, therefore, to safeguard thy treasures from the assaults of them who wish to rob thee. Inquire into their affairs, and ascertain, every year, nay every month, their condition, and be not of them that are careless of their duty.
Set before thine eyes God’s unerring Balance and, as one standing in His Presence, weigh in that balance thine actions every day, every moment of thy life. Bring thyself to account ere thou art summoned to a reckoning, on the Day when no man shall have strength to stand for fear of God, the Day when the hearts of the heedless ones shall be made to tremble. . . .
It behoveth every king to be as bountiful as the sun, which fostereth the growth of all beings, and giveth to each its due, whose benefits are not inherent in itself, but are ordained by Him Who is the Most Powerful, the Almighty. The King should be as generous, as liberal in His mercy as the clouds, the outpourings of whose bounty are showered upon every land, by the behest of Him Who is the Supreme Ordainer, the All-Knowing.
Have a care not to entrust thine affairs of state entirely into another’s hands. None can discharge thy functions better than thine own self. Thus do We make clear unto thee Our words of wisdom, and send down upon thee that which can enable thee to pass over from the left hand of oppression to the right hand of justice, and approach the resplendent ocean of His favors. Such is the path which the kings that were before thee have trodden, they that acted equitably towards their subjects, and walked in the ways of undeviating justice.
Thou art God’s shadow on earth. Strive,
therefore, to act in such a manner as befitteth
so eminent, so august a station. If thou dost
depart from following the things We have
caused to descend upon thee and taught thee,
thou wilt, assuredly, be derogating from that
great and priceless honor. Return, then, and
cleave wholly unto God, and cleanse thine
heart from the world and all its vanities, and
suffer not the love of any stranger to enter
and dwell therein. Not until thou dost
purify thine heart from every trace of such
love can the brightness of the light of God
shed its radiance upon it, for to none hath
God given more than one heart. This, verily,
hath been decreed and written down in His
ancient Book. And as the human heart, as
fashioned by God, is one and undivided, it
behoveth thee to take heed that its affections
be, also, one and undivided. Cleave thou,
therefore, with the whole affection of thine
heart, unto His love, and withdraw it from
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the love of any one besides Him, that He
may aid thee to immerse thyself in the ocean
of His unity, and enable thee to become a
true upholder of His oneness. God is my
witness. My sole purpose in revealing to thee
these words is to sanctify thee from the
transitory things of the earth, and aid thee
to enter the realm of everlasting glory, that
thou mayest, by the leave of God, be of
them that abide and rule therein. . . .
I swear by God, O King! It is not my wish to make My plaint to thee against them that persecute Me. I only plead my grief and My sorrow to God, Who hath created Me and them, Who well knoweth our state and Who Watcheth over all things. My wish is to warn them of the consequences of their actions, if perchance they might desist from treating others as they have treated Me, and be of them that heed My warning.
The tribulations that have touched Us, the destitution from which We suffer, the various troubles with which We are encompassed, shall all pass away, as shall pass away the pleasures in which they delight and the affluence they enjoy. This is the truth which no man can reject. The days in which We have been compelled to dwell in the dust will soon be ended, as will the days in which they occupied the seats of honor. God shall, assuredly, judge with truth between Us and them, and He, verily, is the best of judges.
We render thanks unto God for whatsoever hath befallen Us, and We patiently endure the things He hath ordained in the past or Will ordain in the future. In Him have I placed My trust; and into His hands have I committed My cause. He will, certainly, repay all them that endure with patience and put their confidence in Him. His is the creation and its empire. He exalteth whom He will, and whom He will He doth abase. He shall not be asked of His doings. He, verily, is the All-Glorious, the Almighty.
Let thine ear be attentive, O King, to the words We have addressed to thee. Let the oppressor desist from his tyranny, and cut off the perpetrators of injustice from among them that profess thy faith. By the righteousness of God! The tribulations We have sustained are such that any pen that recounteth them cannot but be overwhelmed with anguish. No one of them that truly believe and uphold the unity of God can bear the burden of their recital. So great have been Our sufferings that even the eyes of Our enemies have wept over Us, and beyond them those of every discerning person. And to all these trials have We been subjected, in spite of Our action in approaching thee, and in bidding the people to enter beneath thy shadow, that thou mightest be a stronghold unto them that believe in and uphold the unity of God.
Have I, O king, ever disobeyed thee? Have I, at any time, transgressed any of thy laws? Can any of thy ministers that represent thee in ‘Iráq produce any proof that can establish My disloyalty to thee? No, by Him Who is the Lord of all worlds! Not for one short moment did We rebel against thee, or against any of thy ministers. Never, God willing, shall We revolt against thee, though We be exposed to trials more severe than any We suffered in the past. In the day-time and in the night season, at even and at morn, We pray to God on thy behalf, that He may graciously aid thee to be obedient unto Him and to observe His commandments, that He may shield thee from the hosts of the evil ones. Do, therefore, as it pleaseth thee, and treat Us as befitteth thy station and beseemeth thy sovereignty. Be not forgetful of the law of God in whatever thou desirest to achieve, now or in the days to come. Say: Praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds!
O King of Paris! Tell the priests to ring
the bells no longer. By God, the True One!
The Most Mighty Bell hath appeared in the
form of Him Who is the Most Great Name,
and the fingers of the will of thy Lord, the
Most Exalted, the Most High, toll it out in
the heaven of Immortality, in His Name, the
All-Glorious. Thus have the mighty verses
of thy Lord been again sent down unto thee,
that thou mayest arise to remember God,
the Creator of earth and heaven, in these
days when all the tribes of the earth have
mourned, and the foundations of the cities
have trembled, and the dust of irreligion hath
enwrapped all men, except such as thy Lord,
the All-Knowing, the All-Wise, was pleased
to spare. . . . Give ear, O King, unto the
Voice that calleth from the Fire which
burneth in this Verdant Tree, upon this
Sinai which hath been raised above the hallowed
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and snow-white Spot, beyond the
Everlasting City: "Verily, there is none
other God but Me, the Ever-Forgiving, the
Most Merciful!” We, in truth, have sent
Him Whom We aided with the Holy Spirit
(Jesus), that He may announce unto you
this Light that hath shone forth from the
horizon of the will of your Lord, the Most
Exalted, the All Glorious, and Whose signs
have been revealed in the West, that ye may
set your faces towards Him (Bahá’u’lláh), on
this Day which God hath exalted above all
other days, and whereon the All-Merciful
hath shed the splendor of His effulgent glory
upon all who are in heaven and all Who are
on earth. Arise thou to serve God and help
His Cause. He, verily, will assist thee with
the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will
set thee king over all that whereon the sun
riseth. Thy Lord, in truth, in the All-Powerful,
the Almighty. . . . Attire thy
temple with the ornament of My Name, and
thy tongue with remembrance of Me, and
thine heart with love for Me, the Almighty,
the Most High. We have desired for thee
naught except that which is better for thee
than what thou dost possess and all the
treasures of the earth. Thy Lord, verily, is
knowing, informed of all. . . .
O King! We heard the words thou didst utter in answer to the Czar of Russia, concerning the decision made regarding the war. Thy Lord, verily, knoweth, is informed of all Thou didst say: "I lay asleep upon my couch, when the cry of the oppressed, who were drowned in the Black Sea, awakened me.” This is what we heard thee say, and, verily, thy Lord is witness unto what I say. We testify that that which wakened thee was not their cry, but the promptings of thine own passions, for We tested thee, and found thee wanting. Comprehend the meaning of My words, and be thou of the discerning . . . Hadst thou been sincere in thy words, thou wouldst have not cast behind thy back the Book of God, when it was sent unto thee by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise. We have proved thee through it, and found thee other than that which thou didst profess. Arise, and make amends for that which escaped thee. Ere long the world and all that thou possessest will perish, and the kingdom will remain unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy fathers of old. It behoveth thee not to conduct thine affairs according to the dictates of thy desires. Fear the sighs of this Wronged One, and shield Him from the darts of such as act unjustly. 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 help this Cause, and followest Him Who is the Spirit of God (Jesus) 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, while thou art of the heedless . . . Abandon thy palaces to the people of the graves, and thine empire to whosoever desireth it, and turn, then, unto the Kingdom. This, verily, is what God hath chosen for thee, wert thou of them that turn unto Him . . . Shouldst thou desire to bear the weight of thy dominion, bear it then to aid the Cause of thy Lord. Glorified be this station which whoever attaineth thereunto hath attained unto all good that proceedeth from Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise . . . Exultest thou over the treasures thou dost possess, knowing they shall perish? Rejoicest thou in that thou rulest a span of earth, when the whole world, in the estimation of the people of Bahá, is worth as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant? Abandon it unto such as have set their affections upon it, and turn thou unto Him Who is the Desire of the world. Whither are gone the proud and their palaces? Gaze thou into their tombs, that thou mayest profit by this example, inasmuch as We made it a lesson unto every beholder. Were the breezes of Revelation to seize thee, thou wouldst flee the world, and turn unto the Kingdom, and wouldst expend all thou possessest, that thou mayest draw nigh unto this sublime Vision.
O Czar of Russia! Incline thine ear unto
the voice of God, the King, the Holy, and
turn thou unto Paradise, the Spot wherein
abideth He Who, among the Concourse on
high, beareth the most excellent titles, and
Who, in the kingdom of creation, is called
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by the name of God, the Effulgent, the
All-Glorious. Beware lest thy desire deter thee
from turning towards the face of thy Lord,
the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We,
verily, have heard the thing for which thou
didst supplicate thy Lord, communing with
Him. Wherefore, the breeze of My
lovingkindness wafted forth, and the sea of My
mercy surged, and We answered thee in
truth. Thy Lord, verily, is the All-Knowing,
the All—Wise. Whilst I lay chained and
fettered in the prison, one of thy ministers
extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God
ordained for thee a station which the
knowledge of none can comprehend except His
knowledge. Beware lest thou barter away
this sublime station . . . Beware lest thy
sovereignty withhold thee from Him Who
is the Supreme Sovereign. He, verily, is
come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms
cry aloud: "Lo! The Lord is come in His
great majesty!” He Who is the Father is
come, and the Son (Jesus), in the holy vale,
crieth out: “Here am I, here am I, O Lord,
My God!”, whilst Sinai circleth round the
House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud;
"The All—Bounteous is come mounted upon
the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth nigh
unto Him, and woe betide them that are
far away.”
Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all-compelling Cause, and summon, then, the nations unto God, the Exalted, the Great. Be thou not of them who called upon God by one of His names, but who, when He Who is the Object of all names appeared, denied Him and turned aside from Him, and, in the end, pronounced sentence against Him with manifest injustice. Consider and call thou to mind the days whereon the Spirit of God (Jesus) appeared, and Herod gave judgment against Him. God, however aided Him with the hosts of the unseen, and protected Him with truth, and sent Him down unto another land, according to His promise. He, verily, ordaineth what He pleaseth. Thy Lord truly preserveth whom He willeth, be he in the midst of the seas, or in the maw of the serpent, or beneath the sword of the oppressor . . .
Again I say: Hearken unto My Voice that calleth from My prison, that it may acquaint thee with the things that have befallen My Beauty, at the hands of them that are the manifestations of My glory, and that thou mayest perceive how great hath been My patience, notwithstanding My might, and how immense My forbearance, notwithstanding My power. By My Life! Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My Pen, and discover the treasures of My Cause, and the pearls of My mysteries which lie hid in the seas of My names and in the goblets of My words, thou wouldst, in thy love for My name, and in thy longing for My glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay down thy life in My path. Know thou that though My body be beneath the swords of My foes, and My limbs be beset with incalculable afflictions, yet My spirit is filled with a gladness with which all the joys of the earth can never compare.
Set thine heart towards Him Who is the
Point of adoration for the world, and say:
O peoples of the earth! Have ye denied the
One in Whose path He Who came with the
truth, bearing the announcement of your
Lord, the Exalted, the Great, suffered
martyrdom? Say: This is an Announcement
whereat the hearts of the Prophets and
Messengers have rejoiced. This is the One Whom
the heart of the world remembereth and is
promised in the Books of God, the Mighty,
the All-Wise. The hands of the Messengers
were, in their desire to meet Me, upraised
towards God, the Mighty, the Glorified. . . .
Some lamented in their separation from Me,
others endured hardships in My path, and
still others laid down their lives for the sake
of My Beauty, could ye but know it. Say:
I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine
Own Self, but rather God himself were ye
to judge fairly. Naught can be seen in Me
except God and His Cause, could ye but
perceive it. I am the One Whom the tongue
of Isaiah hath extolled, the One with Whose
name both the Torah and the Evangel were
adorned. . . . Blessed be the king whose
sovereignty hath withheld him not from his
Sovereign, and who hath turned unto God
with his heart. He, verily, is accounted of
those that have attained unto that which
God, the Mighty, the All-Wise, hath willed.
Ere long will such a one find himself
numbered with the monarchs of the realms of
the Kingdom. Thy Lord is, in truth, potent
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over all things. He giveth what He willeth
to whomsoever He willeth, and withholdeth
what He pleaseth from whomsoever He
willeth. He, verily, is the All-Powerful, the
Almighty.
O Queen in London! Incline thine ear unto the voice of thy Lord, the Lord of all mankind, calling from the Divine Lote-Tree: Verily, no God is there but Me, the Almighty, the All-Wise! Cast away all that is on earth, and attire the head of thy kingdom with the crown of the remembrance of thy Lord, the All-Glorious. He, in truth, hath come unto the world in His most great glory, and all that hath been mentioned in the Gospel hath been fulfilled. The land of Syria hath been honored by the footsteps of its Lord, the Lord of all men, and north and south are both inebriated with the wine of His presence. Blessed is the man that inhaled the fragrance of the Most Merciful, and turned unto the Dawning-Place of His Beauty, in this resplendent Dawn. The Mosque of Aqsá vibrated through the breezes of its Lord, the All-Glorious whilst Bathá (Mecca) trembleth at the voice of God, the Exalted, the Most High. Whereupon every single stone of them celebrateth the praise of the Lord, through this Great Name.
Lay aside thy desire, and set then thine heart towards thy Lord, the Ancient of Days. We make mention of thee for the sake of God, and desire that thy name may be exalted through thy remembrance of God, the Creator of earth and heaven. He, verily, is witness unto that which I say. We have been informed that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves, both men and women. This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in this wondrous Revelation. God hath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this. He, verily, will pay the doer of good his due recompense, wert thou to follow what hath been sent unto thee by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. As to him who turneth aside, and swelleth with pride, after that the clear tokens have come unto him, from the Revealer of signs, his work shall God bring to naught. He, in truth, hath power over all things. Man’s actions are acceptable after his having recognized (the Manifestation). He that turneth aside from the True One is indeed the most veiled amongst His creatures. Thus hath it been decreed by Him Who is the Almighty, the Most Powerful.
We have also heard that thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well, for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be tranquillized. It behoveth them, however, to be trustworthy among His servants, and to regard themselves as the representatives of all that dwell on earth. This is what counselleth them, in this Tablet, He Who is the Ruler, the All—Wise. . . . Blessed is he that entereth the assembly for the sake of God, and judgeth between men with pure justice. He, indeed, is of the blissful. . . .
Turn thou unto God and say: O my Sovereign Lord! I am but a vassal of Thine, and Thou art, in truth, the King of Kings. I have lifted my suppliant hands unto the heaven of Thy grace and Thy bounties. Send down, then, upon me from the clouds of Thy generosity that which will rid me of all save Thee, and draw me nigh unto Thyself. I beseech Thee, O my Lord, by Thy name, which Thou hast made the king of names, and the manifestation of Thyself to all who are in heaven and on earth, to rend asunder the veils that have intervened between me and my recognition of the Dawning-Place of Thy signs and the Dayspring of Thy Revelation. Thou art, verily, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, the All-Bounteous. Deprive me not, O my Lord, of the fragrances of the Robe of Thy mercy in Thy days, and write down for me that which Thou hast written down for Thy handmaidens who have believed in Thee and in Thy signs, and have recognized Thee, and set their hearts towards the horizon of Thy Cause. Thou art truly the Lord of the worlds, and of those who show mercy, the Most Merciful. Assist me, then, O my God, to remember Thee amongst Thy handmaidens, and to aid Thy Cause in Thy lands. Accept, then, that which hath escaped me when the light of Thy countenance shone forth. Thou, indeed, hast power over all things. Glory be to Thee, O Thou in Whose
The Citadel in Tabríz where the Báb was at one time detained.
hand is the kingdom of the heavens and of the earth.
Say: O King of Berlin! Give ear unto the Voice calling from this manifest Temple: Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Everlasting, the Peerless, the Ancient of Days. Take heed lest pride debar thee from recognizing the Dayspring of Divine Revelation, lest earthly desires shut thee out, as by a veil, from the Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below. Thus counselleth thee the Pen of the Most High. He, verily, is the Most Gracious, the All—Bountiful. 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.
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. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely. 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. The Pen of the Most High addresseth Me saying: Fear not. Relate unto His Majesty the Sháh that which befell thee. His heart, verily, is between the fingers of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, that haply the sun of justice and bounty may shine forth above the horizon of his heart. Thus hath the decree been irrevocably fixed by Him Who is the All-Wise.
Look upon this Youth, O King, with the
eyes of justice; judge thou, then, with truth
concerning what hath befallen Him. Of a
verity, God hath made thee His shadow
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amongst men, and the sign of His power
unto all that dwell on earth. Judge thou
between Us and them that have wronged
Us without proof and without an enlightening
Book. They that surround thee love
thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth
loveth thee for thine own sake, and hath
had no desire except to draw thee nigh unto
the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward
the right-hand of justice. Thy Lord beareth
witness unto that which I declare.
O King! Wert thou to incline thine ear unto the shrill of the Pen of Glory and the cooing of the Dove of Eternity which, on the branches of the Lote—Tree beyond which there is no passing, uttereth praises to God, the Maker of all names and Creator of earth and heaven, thou wouldst attain unto a station from which thou wouldst behold in the world of being naught save the effulgence of the Adored One, and wouldst regard thy sovereignty as the most contemptible of thy possessions, abandoning it to whosoever might desire it, and setting thy face toward the Horizon aglow with the light of His countenance. Neither wouldst thou ever be willing to bear the burden of dominion save for the purpose of helping thy Lord, the Exalted, the Most High. Then would the Concourse on high bless thee. O how excellent is this most sublime station, couldst thou ascend thereunto through the power of a sovereignty recognized as derived from the Name of God! . . .
O King of the age! The eyes of these refugees are turned towards and fixed upon the mercy of the Most Merciful. No doubt is there whatever that these tribulations will be followed by the outpourings of a supreme mercy, and these dire adversities be succeeded by an over-flowing prosperity. We fain would hope, however, that His Majesty the Sháh will himself examine these matters, and bring hope to the hearts. That which We have submitted to thy Majesty is indeed for thine highest good. And God, verily, is a sufficient witness unto Me. . . .
O would that thou wouldst permit Me, O Sháh, to send unto thee that which would cheer the eyes, and tranquillize the souls, and persuade every fair-minded person that with Him is the knowledge of the Book. . . . But for the repudiation of the foolish and
The Grave Stone of the Wife of the Báb, at present preserved in one of the rooms of His House, in Shíráz.
the connivance of the divines, I would have uttered a discourse that would have thrilled and carried away the hearts unto a realm from the murmur of whose winds can be heard: "No God is there but He!” . . .
I have seen, O Sháh, in the path of God
what eye hath not seen not ear heard. . . .
How numerous the tribulations which have
rained, and will soon rain, upon Me!
I advance with My face set towards Him Who
is the Almighty, the All—Bounteous, whilst
behind Me glideth the serpent. Mine eyes
have rained down tears until My bed is
drenched. I sorrow not for Myself, however.
By God! Mine head yearneth for the spear
out of love for its Lord. I never passed a
tree, but Mine heart addressed it saying: "O
would that thou wert cut down in My name,
and My body crucified upon thee, in the
path of My Lord!” . . . By God! Though
weariness lay Me low, and hunger consume
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Me, and the bare rock be My bed, and My
fellows the beasts of the field, I will not
complain, but will endure patiently as those
endued with constancy and firmness have
endured patiently, through the power of
God, the Eternal King and Creator of the
nations, and will render thanks unto God
under all conditions. We pray that, out of
His bounty—exalted be He—He may release,
through this imprisonment, the necks of
men from chains and fetters, and cause
them to turn, with sincere faces, towards
His Face, Who is the Mighty, the Bounteous.
Ready is He to answer whosoever calleth
upon Him, and nigh is He unto such as
commune with Him.
O Pope! Rend the veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come overshadowed with clouds, and the decree hath been fulfilled by God, the Almighty, the Unrestrained. . . . He, verily, hath again come down from Heaven even as He came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not with Him even as the Pharisees disputed with Him (Jesus) without a clear token or proof. On His right hand flow the living waters of grace, and on His left the choice Wine of justice, whilst before Him march the angels of Paradise, bearing the banners of His signs. Beware lest any name debar thee from God, the Creator of earth and heaven. Leave thou the world behind thee, and turn towards thy Lord, through Whom the whole earth hath been illumined.
. . . Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation liveth in the most desolate of abodes? Leave them unto such as desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight towards the Kingdom. . . . Arise in the name of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, amidst the peoples of the earth, and seize thou the Cup of Life with the hands of confidence, and first drink thou therefrom, and proffer it then to such as turn towards it amongst the peoples of all faiths. . . .
Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spirit (Jesus), Who, when He came, the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take heed, then, ye men of understanding heart! Thou, in truth, art one of the suns of the heaven of His names. Guard thyself, lest darkness spread its veil over thee, and fold thee away from His light. . . . Consider those who opposed the Son (Jesus), when He came unto them with sovereignty and power. How many the Pharisees who were waiting to behold Him, and were lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the fragrance of His coming was wafted over them, and His beauty was unveiled, they turned aside from Him and disputed with Him. . . . None save a very few, who were destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards His face. And yet, today, every man endowed with power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself on His Name! In like manner, consider how numerous, in these days, are the monks who, in My Name, have secluded themselves in their Churches, and who, when the appointed time was fulfilled, and We unveiled Our beauty, knew Us not, though they call upon Me at eventide and at dawn . . .
The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest. It hath been sent down in the form of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in His most great majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, O concourse of the righteous! . . . This is the day whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High, saying: “Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled! . . .” My body longeth for the cross, and Mine head waiteth the thrust of the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful, that the world may be purged from its transgressions . . .
O Supreme Pontiff! Incline thine ear unto
that which the Fashioner of mouldering
bones counselleth thee, as voiced by Him
Who is His Most Great Name. Sell all the
embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and
expend them in the path of God, Who
causeth the night to return upon the day, and
the day to return upon the night. Abandon
thy kingdom unto the kings, and emerge
from thy habitation, with thy face set
towards the Kingdom, and, detached from
the world, then speak forth the praises of
thy Lord betwixt earth and heaven. Thus
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hath hidden thee He Who is the Possessor of
Names, on the part of thy Lord, the Almighty,
the All-Knowing. Exhort thou the
kings and say: “Deal equitably with men.
Beware lest ye transgress the bounds fixed in
the Book.” This indeed becometh thee.
Beware lest thou appropriate unto thyself
the things of the world and the riches
thereof. Leave them unto such as desire
them, and cleave unto that which hath been
enjoined upon thee by Him Who is the Lord
of creation. Should any one offer thee all
the treasures of the earth, refuse to even
glance upon them. Be as thy Lord hath
been. Thus hath the Tongue of Revelation
spoken that which God hath made the
ornament of the book of creation . . . Should the
inebriation of the Wine of My verses seize
thee, and thou determinest to present thyself
before the throne of thy Lord, the Creator
of earth and heaven, make My love thy
vesture, and thy shield remembrance of Me,
and thy provision reliance upon God, the
Revealer of all power . . . Verily, the day
of ingathering is come, and all things have
been separated from each other. He hath
stored away that which He chose in the
vessels of justice, and cast into fire that
which befitteth it. Thus hath it been decreed
by your Lord, the Mighty, the Loving, in this
promised Day. He, verily, ordaineth what
He pleaseth. There is none other God save
He, the Almighty, the All-Compelling.
O ye the elected representatives of the people in every land! Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind, and bettereth the condition thereof, if ye be of them that scan heedfully. Regard the world as the human body which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies. Not for one day did it gain ease, nay its sickness waxed more severe as it fell under the treatment of ignorant physicians, who gave full rein to their personal desires, and have erred grievously. And if, at one time, through the care of an able physician, a member of that body was healed; the rest remained afflicted as before. Thus informeth you the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
We behold it in this day at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride that they cannot discern clearly their own best advantage, much less recognize a Revelation so bewildering and challenging as this. And whenever any one of them hath striven to improve its condition, his motive hath been his own gain, whether confessedly so or not; and the unworthiness of this motive hath limited his power to heal or cure.
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.
PEACE A DIVINE CREATION
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 king take up arms against
another, all should unitedly arise and prevent
him. If this be done, the nations of the
world will no longer require any armaments,
except for the purpose of preserving the
security of their realms and of maintaining
internal order within their territories. This
will insure the peace and composure of every
people, government and nation. We fain
would hope that the kings and rulers of the
earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty
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name of God, may attain unto this
station, and shield mankind from the onslaught
of tyranny. . . . The day is approaching when
all the peoples of the world will
have adopted one universal language and one
common script. When this is achieved, to
whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall
be as if he were entering his own home.
These things are obligatory and absolutely
essential. It is incumbent upon every man of
insight and understanding to strive to
translate that which hath been written into
reality and action. . . . That one indeed is
a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the
service of the entire human race. The Great
Being saith: Blessed and happy is he that
ariseth to promote the best interests of the
peoples and kindreds of the earth. In another
passage He hath proclaimed: It is not for
him to pride himself who loveth his own
country, but rather for him who loveth the
whole world. The earth is but one country,
and mankind its citizens.
Lay not aside the fear of God, O kings of the earth, and beware that ye transgress not the bounds which the Almighty hath fixed. Observe the injunctions laid upon you in His Book, and take good heed not to overstep their limits. Be vigilant, that ye may not do injustice to anyone, be it to the extent of a grain of mustard seed. Tread ye the path of justice, for this, verily, is the straight path.
Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that the burden of your expenditures may be lightened, and that your minds and hearts may be tranquillized. Heal the dissensions that divide you, and ye will no longer be in need of any armaments except what the protection of your cities and territories demandeth. Fear ye God, and take heed not to outstrip the bounds of moderation, and be numbered among the extravagant.
We have learned that you are increasing your outlay every year, and are laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is more than they can bear, and is a grievous injustice. Decide justly between men, and be ye the emblems of justice amongst them. This, if ye judge fairly, is the thing that behoveth you, and beseemeth your station.
Beware not to deal unjustly with any one that appealeth to you, and entereth beneath your shadow. Walk ye in the fear of God, and be ye of them that lead a godly life. Rest not on your power, your armies, and treasures. Put your whole trust and confidence in God, Who hath created you, and seek ye His help in all your affairs. Succor cometh from Him alone. He succoreth whom He Will with the hosts of the heavens and of the earth.
Know ye that the poor are the trust of God in your midst. Watch that ye betray not His trust, that ye deal not unjustly with them and that ye walk not in the ways of the treacherous. Ye will most certainly be called upon to answer for His trust on the day when the Balance of Justice shall be set, the day when unto every one shall be rendered his due, when the doings of all men, be they rich or poor, shall be weighed.
If ye pay no heed unto the counsels which, in peerless and unequivocal language, We have revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every direction, and the sentence of His justice shall be pronounced against you. On that day ye shall have no power to resist Him, and shall recognize your own impotence. Have mercy on yourselves and on those beneath you. Judge ye between them according to the precepts prescribed by God in His most holy and exalted Tablet, a Tablet wherein He hath assigned to each and every thing its settled measure, in which He hath given, with distinctness, an explanation of all things, and which is in itself a monition unto them that believe in Him.
Examine Our Cause, inquire into the things that have befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies, and be ye of them that act equitably towards their neighbor. If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, What right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men? What is it of which ye can rightly boast? Is it on your food and your drink that ye pride yourselves, on the riches ye lay up in your treasures, on the diversity and the cost of the ornaments with which ye deck yourselves? If true glory were to consist in the possession of such perishable things, then
The Marble Monument erected on the Grave of Bahíyyih Khánum, the Sister of ‘Abdu'l—Bahá, on Mt. Carmel, Haifa.
The Twin Monuments erected over the graves of the Mother and Brother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.
Beyond them is seen that which marks the resting place of His Wife, in the private burial ground on Mt. Carmel.
the earth on which ye walk must needs vaunt itself over you, because it supplieth you, and bestoweth upon you, these very things, by the decree of the Almighty. In its bowels are contained, according to what God hath ordained, all that ye possess. From it, as a sign of His mercy, ye derive your riches. Behold then your state, the thing in which ye glory! Would that ye could perceive it!
Nay! By Him Who holdeth in His grasp the kingdom of the entire creation! Nowhere doth your true and abiding glory reside except in your firm adherence unto the precepts of God, your wholehearted observance of His laws, your resolution to see that they do not remain unenforced, and to pursue steadfastly the right course.
O ye rulers of the earth! Wherefore have ye clouded the radiance of the Sun, and caused it to cease from shining? Hearken unto the counsel given you by the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor may attain unto tranquillity and peace. We beseech God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on earth. He, verily, doth what He willeth.
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 people. 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.
The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it?
The utterance of God is a lamp, whose light is these words: Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He who is the Day Star of Truth beareth me witness! So powerful is the light of unity that it can illumine the whole earth.
All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and lovingkindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth.
The purpose of the one true God, exalted be His Glory, in revealing Himself unto men is to lay bare those gems that lie hidden within the mine of their true and inmost selves. That the divers communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His Religion. These principles and laws, these firmly established and mighty systems, have proceeded from one Source, and are the rays of one Light. That they differ one from another is to be attributed to the varying requirements of the ages in which they were promulgated.
This is the day in which God’s most
excellent favors have been poured out upon men,
the Day in which His most mighty grace
hath been infused into all created things. It
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is incumbent upon all the peoples of the
world to reconcile their differences, and,
with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath
the shadow of the Tree of His care and
loving-kindness. It behoveth them to cleave to
whatsoever will, in this Day, be conducive
to the exaltation of their stations, and to the
promotion of their best interests.
Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to fulfill that which is acceptable in Our sight. Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.
The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet and seemly. Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will the Divine Standard be hoisted, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.
2.
WORDS OF ‘ABDU’L—BAHÁ
SELECTED WRITINGS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
CENTER OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH’S COVENANT WITH MANKIND
Walking in Darkness
TODAY the world of humanity is walking in darkness because it is out of touch with the world of God. That is why we do not see the signs of God in the hearts of men. The power of the Holy Spirit has no influence. When a divine spiritual illumination becomes manifest in the world of humanity, when divine instruction and guidance appear, then enlightenment follows, a new spirit is realized within, a new power descends and a new life is given. It is like the birth from the animal kingdom into the kingdom of man. When man acquires these virtues the oneness of the world of humanity will be revealed, the banner of international peace will be upraised, equality between all mankind will be realized and the Orient and Occident will become one. Then will the justice of God become manifest, all humanity will appear as the members of one family and every member of that family will be consecrated to cooperation and mutual assistance. The lights of the love of God will shine; eternal happiness will be unveiled; everlasting joy and spiritual delight will be attained. Today the world of humanity is in need of international unity and conciliation. To establish these great fundamental principles a propelling power is needed. It is self-evident that unity of the human world and the Most Great Peace cannot be accomplished through material means. They cannot be established through political power, for the political interests of nations are various and the policies of peoples are divergent and conflicting. They cannot be founded through racial or patriotic power, for these are human powers, selfish and weak. The very nature of racial differences and patriotic prejudices prevents the realization of this unity and agreement. Therefore it is evidenced that the promotion of the oneness of the kingdom of humanity which is the essence of the teachings of all the Manifestations of God is impossible except through the divine power and breaths of the Holy Spirit. Other powers are too weak and are incapable of accomplishing this.
For man, two wings are necessary. One wing is the physical power and material civilization; the other is the spiritual power and divine civilization. With one wing only, flight is impossible. Two wings are essential. Therefore no matter how much material civilization advances it cannot attain to perfection except through uplift of the spiritual civilization.
The body of the human world is sick. Its remedy and healing will be the oneness of the kingdom of humanity. Its life is the Most Great Peace. Its illumination and quickening is love. Its happiness is the attainment of spiritual perfections. It is My wish and hope that in the bounties and favors of the Blessed Perfection* we may find a new life, acquire a new power and attain to a wonderful and supreme source of energy so that the Most Great Peace of divine intention shall be established upon the foundations of the unity of the world of men with God. May the love of God be spread from this city, from this meeting to all the surrounding countries. Nay, may America become the distributing center of spiritual enlightenment and all the world receive this heavenly blessing. For America has developed powers and capabilities greater and more wonderful than other nations. While it is true that its people have attained a marvelous material civilization, I hope that spiritual forces may animate this great body and a corresponding spiritual civilization be established.
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*Bahá’u’lláh.
True Religion
True religion is the source of love and agreement amongst men, the cause of the development of praiseworthy qualities; but the people are holding to the counterfeit and imitation, negligent of the reality which unifies; so they are bereft and deprived of the radiance of religion. They follow superstitions inherited from their fathers and ancestors. To such an extent has this prevailed that they have taken away the heavenly light of divine truth and sit in the darkness of imitations and imaginations. That which was meant to be conducive to life has become the cause of death; that which should have been an evidence of knowledge is now a proof of ignorance; that which was a factor in the sublimity of human nature has proved to be its degradation. Therefore the realm of the religionist has gradually narrowed and darkened and the sphere of the materialist has widened and advanced; for the religionist has held to imitation and counterfeit, neglecting and discarding holiness and the sacred reality of religion. When the sun sets it is the time for bats to fly.
Religion is the outer expression of the divine reality. Therefore it must be living, vitalized, moving and progressive. If it be without motion and non-progressive it is without the divine life; it is dead. The divine institutes are continuously active and evolutionary; therefore the revelation of them must be progressive and continuous. All things are subject to re-formation. This is a century of life and renewal. Sciences and arts, industry and invention have been reformed. Law and ethics have been reconstituted, reorganized. The world of thought has been regenerated.
Will the despotism of former governments answer the call for freedom which has risen from the heart of humanity in this cycle of illumination? It is evident that no vital results are now forthcoming from the customs, institutions and standpoints of the past. In view of this, shall blind imitations of ancestral forms and theological interpretations continue to guide and control the religious life and spiritual development of humanity today? Shall man, gifted with the power of reason, unthinkingly follow and adhere to dogma, creeds and hereditary beliefs which will not bear the analysis of reason in this century of effulgent reality?
From the seed of reality, religion has grown into a tree which has put forth leaves and branches, blossoms and fruit. After a time this tree has fallen into a condition of decay. The leaves and blossoms have withered and perished; the tree has become stricken and fruitless. It is not reasonable that man should hold to the old tree, claiming that its life forces are undiminished, its fruit unequalled, its existence eternal. The seed of reality must be sown again in human hearts in order that a new tree may grow therefrom and new divine fruits refresh the world. By this means the nations and peoples now divergent in religion will be brought into unity, imitations will be forsaken and a universal brotherhood in the reality itself will be established. Warfare and strife will cease among mankind; all will be reconciled as servants of God.
Each of the divine religions embodies two kinds of ordinances. The first are those which concern spiritual susceptibilities, the development of moral principles and the quickening of the conscience of man. These are essential or fundamental, one and the same in all religions, changeless and eternal, reality not subject to transformation. His Holiness Abraham heralded this reality, His Holiness Moses promulgated it and His Holiness Jesus Christ established it in the world of mankind. All the divine Prophets and Messengers were the instruments and channels of this same eternal, essential truth.
The second kind of ordinances in the divine religions are those which relate to the material affairs of humankind. These are the material or accidental laws which are subject to change in each day of Manifestation, according to exigencies of the time, conditions and differing capacities of humanity.
Consider the time of His Holiness Christ.
Peoples, races and governments were many,
religions, sects and denominations were
various but when His Holiness appeared, the
Messianic reality proved to be the collective
center which unified them beneath the same
tabernacle of agreement. Reflect upon this.
Could His Holiness Jesus Christ have united
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these divergent factors or brought about
such results through political power? Was
this unity and agreement possible through
material forces? It is evident that it was
not; nay, rather, these various peoples were
brought together through a divine power,
through the breaths of the Holy Spirit. They
were blended and quickened by the infusion
of a new life. The spirituality of Christ
overcame their difficulties so that their
disagreements passed away completely. In this
way these divergent peoples were unified
and became welded in a bond of love which
alone can unite hearts. Therefore it is shown
that the divine Manifestations, the holy
messengers of God, are the collective Centers
of God. These heavenly Messengers are the
real shepherds of humanity, for whenever
they appear in the world they unite the
scattered sheep. The collective Center has
always appeared in the Orient. His Holiness
Abraham, His Holiness Moses, His
Holiness Jesus Christ, His Holiness
Muḥammad, were collective Centers of their day
and time, and all arose in the East. Today
His Holiness Baha’u’llah is the collective
Center of unity for all mankind and the
splendor of His light has likewise dawned
from the East. He founded the oneness of
humanity in Persia. He established harmony
and agreement among the various peoples of
religious beliefs, denominations, sects and
cults by freeing them from the fetters of
past imitations and superstitions; leading
them to the very foundation of the divine
religions. From this foundation shines forth
the radiance of spirituality which is unity,
the love of God, the knowledge of God,
praiseworthy morals and the virtues of the
human world. Bahá’u’lláh renewed these
principles, just as the coming of spring
refreshes the earth and confers new life upon
all phenomenal beings.
Unity of the Prophets
The divine Prophets are conjoined in the perfect state of love. Each one has given the glad-tidings of His successor’s coming and each successor has sanctioned the One who preceded Him. They were in the utmost unity but Their followers are in strife. For instance, Moses gave the message of the gladtidings of Christ and Christ confirmed the prophethood of Moses. Therefore between Moses and Jesus there is no variation or conflict. They are in perfect unity but between the Jew and the Christian there is conflict. Now therefore if the Christian and Jewish peoples investigate the reality underlying their Prophets’ teachings they will become kind in their attitude toward each other and associate in the utmost love, for reality is one and not dual or multiple. If this investigation of the reality becomes universal the divergent nations will ratify all the divine Prophets and confirm all the Holy Books. No strife or rancor will then remain and the world will become united.
The Divine Physician
The world of humanity may be likened to the individual man himself; it has its illness and ailments. A patient must be diagnosed by a skillful physician. The Prophets of God are the real physicians. In whatever age or time they appear they prescribe for human conditions. They know the sicknesses; they discover the hidden sources of disease and indicate the necessary remedy. Whosoever is healed by that remedy finds eternal health. For instance, in the day of His Holiness Jesus Christ, the world of humanity was afflicted with various ailments. His Holiness Jesus Christ was the real physician. He appeared, recognized the symptoms and prescribed the real remedy. What was that remedy? It was His revealed teaching especially applicable to that age. Later on many new ailments and disorders appeared in the body-politic. The world became sick, other severe maladies appeared, especially in the peninsula of Arabia. God manifested His Holiness Muḥammad there. He came and prescribed for the conditions so that the Arabs became healthy, strong and virile in that time.
In this present age the world of humanity
is afflicted with severe sicknesses and grave
disorders which threaten death. Therefore
His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh has appeared. He
is the real physician bringing divine remedy
and healing to the world of man. He has
brought teachings for all ailments, the
Hidden Words, Ishráqát, Ṭarázát, Tajallíyát,
Words of Paradise, Glad-Tidings, etc., etc.
These holy words and teachings are the
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remedy for the body-politic, the divine
prescription and real cure for the disorders
which afflict the world. Therefore we must
accept and partake of this healing remedy
in order that complete recovery may be
assured. Every soul who lives according to
the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is free from the
ailments and indispositions which prevail
throughout the world of humanity; otherwise
selfish disorders, intellectual maladies,
spiritual sicknesses, imperfections and vices
will surround him and he will not receive
the life-giving bounties of God.
Bahá’u’lláh is the real physician. He has diagnosed human conditions and indicated the necessary treatment. The essential principles of his healing remedies are the knowledge and love of God, severance from all else save God, turning our faces in sincerity toward the Kingdom of God, implicit faith, firmness and fidelity, loving-kindness toward all creatures and the acquisition of the divine virtues indicated for the human world. These are the essentials of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings, the secret of everlasting health, the remedy and healing for man.
Teachings of Bahá’u’lláh
I will speak to you concerning the special teachings of Bahá’u’lláh. All the divine principles announced by the tongue of the prophets of the past are to be found in the words of Bahá’u’lláh; but in addition to these, He has revealed certain new teachings which are not found in any of the sacred books of former times. I shall mention some of them; the others which are many in number may be found in the books, tablets and epistles written by Bahá’u’lláh, such as the Hidden Words, the Glad-Tidings, the Words of Paradise, Tajallíyát, Ṭarázát and others. Likewise in the Book of Aqdas there are new teachings which cannot be found in any of the past books or epistles of the prophets.
A fundamental teaching of Bahá’u’lláh is the oneness of the world of humanity. 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 His Holiness 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. His Holiness Baha’u’llah 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.
Another new principle revealed by His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the injunction to investigate truth; that is to say, no man should blindly follow his ancestors and forefathers. Nay, each must see with his own eyes, hear with his own ears and investigate the truth himself in order that he may follow the truth instead of blind acquiescence and imitation of ancestral beliefs.
His Holiness Baha’u’llah has announced that the foundation of all the religions of God is one; that oneness is truth and truth is oneness which does not admit of plurality. This teaching is new and specialized to this Manifestation.
He sets forth a new principle for this day in the announcement that religion must be the cause of unity, harmony and agreement among mankind. If it be the cause of discord and hostility, if it leads to separation and creates conflict, the absence of religion would be preferable in the world.
Furthermore He proclaims that religion
must be in harmony with science and reason.
If it does not conform to science and reconcile
with reason it is superstition. Down
to the present day it has been customary
for man to accept a religious teaching even
though it were not in accord with human
reason and judgment. The harmony of
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religious belief with reason is a new vista
which Bahá’u’lláh has opened for the soul
of man.
He establishes the equality of man and woman. This is peculiar to the teachings of Baha’u’llah, for all other religions have placed man above woman.
A new religious principle is that prejudice and fanaticism whether sectarian, denominational, patriotic or political are destructive to the foundation of human solidarity; therefore man should release himself from such bonds in order that the oneness of the world of humanity may become manifest.
Universal Peace is assured by Bahá’u’lláh as a fundamental accomplishment of the religion of God; that peace shall prevail among nations, governments and peoples, among religions, races and all conditions of mankind. This is one of the special characteristics of the Word of God revealed in this Manifestation.
Bahá’u’lláh declares that all mankind should attain knowledge and acquire an education. This is a necessary principle of religious belief and observance characteristically new in this dispensation.
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 Baha’u’llah Himself. A universal or international House of Justice shall also be organized. Its rulings shall be in accordance with the commands and teachings of Baha’u’llah, 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.
As to the most great characteristic of the revelation of Bahá’u’lláh—a specific teaching not given by any of the Prophets of the past—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 any one to create a new sect or faction of belief. To insure 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. The Book of the Covenant or Testament of Bahá’u’lláh is the means of preventing such a possibility for whosoever shall speak from the authority of himself alone shall be degraded. Be ye informed and cognizant of this.
Prayer, Meditation
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.
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.
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.
The mind and spirit of man advance when he is tried by suffering. The more the ground is ploughed the better the seed will grow; the better the harvest will be. Just as the plough furrows the earth deeply, purifying it of weeds and thistles, so suffering and tribulation free man from the petty affairs of this worldly life until he arrives at a state of complete detachment. His attitude in this world will be that of divine happiness. Man is, so to speak, unripe: the heat of the fire of suffering will mature him. Look back to the times past and you will find that the greatest men have suffered most.
Meditation is the key for opening the
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doors of mysteries. In that state man
abstracts himself; in that state man withdraws
himself from all outside objects; in
that subjective mood he is immersed in the
ocean of spiritual life and can unfold the
secrets of things-in-themselves. To illustrate
this, think of man as endowed with
two kinds of sight; when the power of
insight is being used the outward power of
vision does not see.
This faculty of meditation frees man from the animal nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God.
This faculty brings forth from the invisible plane the sciences and arts. Through the meditative faculty inventions are made possible, colossal undertakings are carried out, through it governments can run smoothly. Through this faculty man enters into the very Kingdom of God.
Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for themselves. You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness. The imperfect eye beholds imperfections. The eye that covers faults looks toward the Creator of souls. He created them, trains and provides for them, endows them with capacity and life, sight and hearing; therefore they are the signs of His grandeur. You must love and be kind to everybody, care for the poor, protect the weak, heal the sick, teach and educate the ignorant.
Spirit Is Progressive
This is the time for man to strive and put forth his greatest efforts in spiritual directions. Material civilization has reached an advanced plane but now there is need of spiritual civilization. Material civilization alone will not satisfy; it cannot meet the conditions and requirements of the present age. Its benefits are limited to the world of matter. There is no limitation to the spirit of man, for spirit in itself is progressive and if the divine civilization be established the spirit of man will advance. Every developed susceptibility will increase the effectiveness of man. Discoveries of the real will become more and more possible and the influence of divine guidance will be increasingly recognized. All this is conducive to the divine form of civilization. This is what is meant in the Bible by the descent of the New Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem is none other than the divine civilization, and it is now ready. It is to be and shall be organized and the oneness of humankind will be a visible fact. Humanity will then be brought together as one. The various religions will be united and different races be known as one kind. The Orient and Occident will be conjoined and the banner of international peace will be unfurled. The world shall at last find peace and the equalities and rights of men shall be established. The capacity of humankind will be tested and a degree shall be attained where equality is a reality.
The Eternal Kingdom
When I consider this calamity* in another aspect, I am consoled by the realization that the worlds of God are infinite; that though they were deprived of this existence they have other opportunities in the life beyond, even as His Holiness Christ has said: “In My father’s house are many mansions.” They were called away from the temporary and transferred to the eternal; they abandoned this material existence and entered the portals of the spiritual world. Foregoing the pleasures and comforts of the earthly, they now partake of a joy and happiness far more abiding and real; for they have hastened to the Kingdom of God. The mercy of God is infinite and it is our duty to remember these departed souls in our prayers and supplications that they may draw nearer and nearer to the Source Itself.
These human conditions may be likened to the womb of the mother from which a child is to be born into the spacious outer world. At first the infant finds it very difficult to reconcile itself to its new existence. It cries as if not wishing to be separated from
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* The sinking of the Titanic, 1912.
View of the resting places of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Family, on Mt. Carmel.
The Monument in the Distance is that of the Greatest Holy Leaf, those in the foreground mark the Graves of His Mother and Brother.
its narrow abode and imagining that life is restricted to that limited space. It is reluctant to leave its home but nature forces it into this world. Having come into its new conditions it finds that it has passed from darkness into a sphere of radiance; from gloomy and restricted surroundings it has been transferred to an environment spacious and delightful. Its nourishment was the blood of the mother; now it finds delicious food to enjoy. Its new life is filled with brightness and beauty; it looks with wonder and delight upon the mountains, meadows and fields of green, the rivers and fountains, the wonderful stars; it breathes the life-quickening atmosphere; and then it praises God for its release from the confinement of its former condition and attainment to the freedom of a new realm. This analogy expresses the relation of the temporal world to the life hereafter; the transition of the soul of man from darkness and uncertainty to the light and reality of the eternal Kingdom. At first it is very difficult to welcome death, but after attaining its new condition the soul is grateful for it has been released from the bondage of the limited, to enjoy the liberties of the unlimited. It has been freed from a world of sorrow, grief and trials to live in a world of unending bliss and joy. The phenomenal and physical have been abandoned in order that it may attain the opportunities of the ideal and spiritual. Therefore the souls of those who have passed away from earth and completed their span of mortal pilgrimage in the “Titanic” disaster have hastened to a world superior to this.
The Light Is One
There is perfect brotherhood underlying humanity, for all are servants of one God and belong to one family under the protection of divine providence. The bond of fraternity exists in humanity because all are intelligent beings created in the realm of evolutionary growth. There is brotherhood potential in humanity because all inhabit this earthly globe under the one canopy of heaven. There is brotherhood natal in mankind because all are elements of one human society subject to the necessity of agreement and cooperation. There is brotherhood intended in humanity because all are waves of one sea, leaves and fruit of one tree. This is physical fellowship which insures material happiness in the human world. The stronger it becomes, the more will mankind advance and the circle of materiality be enlarged.
The real brotherhood is spiritual, for physical brotherhood is subject to separation. The wars of the outer world of existence separate humankind but in the eternal world of spiritual brotherhood separation is unknown. Material or physical association is based upon earthly interests but divine fellowship owes its existence to the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual brotherhood may be likened to the light while the souls of humankind are as lanterns. The incandescent lamps here are many, yet the light is one.
Material brotherhood does not prevent nor remove warfare; it does not dispel differences among mankind. But spiritual alliance destroys the very foundation of war, effaces differences entirely, promulgates the oneness of humanity, revivifies mankind, causes hearts to turn to the kingdom of God and baptizes souls with the Holy Spirit. Through this divine brotherhood, the material world will become resplendent with the lights of divinity, the mirror of materiality will acquire its lights from heaven and justice will be established in the world so that no trace of darkness, hatred and enmity shall be visible. Humanity shall come within the bounds of security, the prophethood of all the Messengers of God shall be established, Zion shall leap and dance, Jerusalem shall rejoice, the Mosaic flame shall ignite, the Messianic light shall shine, the world will become another world and humanity shall put on another power. This is the greatest divine bestowal; this is the effulgence of the Kingdom of God; this is the day of illumination; this is the merciful century. We must appreciate these things and strive in order that the utmost desire of the Prophets may now be realized and all the glad-tidings be fulfilled.
Race Unity
In the estimation of God there is no
distinction of color; all are one in the color
and beauty of servitude to him. Color is not
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important; the heart is all-important. It
matters not what the exterior may be if the
heart be pure and white within. God does
not behold differences of hue and complexion;
He looks at the hearts. He whose
morals and virtues are praiseworthy is
preferred in the presence of God; he who is
devoted to the Kingdom is most beloved. In
the realm of genesis and creation the question
of color is of least importance.
The mineral kingdom abounds with many-colored substances and compositions but we find no strife among them on that account. In the kingdom of the plant and vegetable, distinct and variegated hues exist but the fruit and flowers are not in conflict for that reason. Nay, rather, the very fact that there is difference and variety lends a charm to the garden. If all were of the same color the effect would be monotonous and depressing. When you enter a rose-garden the wealth of color and variety of floral forms spread before you a picture of wonder and beauty. The world of humanity is like a garden and the various races are the flowers which constitute its adornment and decoration. In the animal kingdom also we find variety of color. See how the doves differ in beauty yet they live together in perfect peace, and love each other. They do not make difference of color a cause of discord and strife. They view each other as the same species and kind. They know they are one in kind. Often a white dove soars aloft with a black one. Throughout the animal kingdom we do not find the creatures separated because of color. They recognize unity of species and oneness of kind. If we do not find color distinction drawn in a kingdom of lower intelligence and reason, how can it be justified among human beings, especially when we know that all have come from the same source and belong to the same household? In origin and intention of creation mankind is one. Distinctions of race and color have arisen afterwards.
Therefore today I am exceedingly glad that both white and colored people have gathered here and I hope the time will come when they shall live together in the utmost peace, unity and friendship. I wish to say one thing of importance to both in order that the white race may be just and kind to the colored and that the colored race may in turn be grateful and appreciative toward the white. The great proclamation of liberty and emancipation from slavery was made upon this continent. A long bloody war was fought by white men for the sake of colored people. These white men forfeited their possessions and sacrificed their lives by thousands in order that colored men might be freed from bondage. The colored population of the United States of America are possibly not fully informed of the wide-reaching effect of this freedom and emancipation upon their colored brethren in Asia and Africa where even more terrible conditions of slavery existed. Influenced and impelled by the example of the United States, the European powers proclaimed universal liberty to the colored race and slavery ceased to exist. This effort and accomplishment by the white nations should never be lost sight of. Both races should rejoice in gratitude, for the institution of liberty and equality here became the cause of liberating your fellow-beings elsewhere. The colored people of this country are especially fortunate, for, praise be to God! conditions here are so much higher than in the East and comparatively few differences exist in the possibility of equal attainments with the white race. May both develop toward the highest degree of equality and altruism. May you be drawn together in friendship and may extraordinary development make brotherhood a reality and truth. I pray in your behalf that there shall be no name other than that of humanity among you. For instance, we say "a flock of doves,” without mention or distinction as to white or black; we apply the name “horse,” “deer,” "gazelle” to other creatures, referring to species and not to their variance in color. It is My hope that through love and fellowship we may advance to such a degree of mutual recognition and estimate, that the oneness of the human world may be realized in each and all present in this meeting.
A New Social Form
Development and progression imply gradual
stages or degrees. For example, spiritual
advancement may be likened to the light of
the early dawn. Although this dawn light
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is dim and pale a wise man who views the
march of the sunrise at its very beginning
can foretell the ascendency of the sun in its
full glory and effulgence. He knows for a
certainty that it is the beginning of its
manifestation and that later it will assume
great power and potency. Again, for example,
if he takes a seed and observes that
it is sprouting, he will know assuredly that
it will ultimately become a tree. Now is
the beginning of the manifestation of the
power spiritual, and inevitably its potency
of life forces will assume greater and greater
proportions. Therefore this twentieth century
is the dawn or beginning of spiritual
illumination and it is evident that day by
day it will advance. It will reach such a
degree that spiritual effulgences will
overcome the physical, so that divine
susceptibilities will overpower material intelligence
and the heavenly light dispel and banish
earthly darkness. Divine healing shall purify
all ills and the cloud of mercy will pour
down its rain. The Sun of Reality will shine
and all the earth shall put on its beautiful
green carpet. Among the results of the
manifestation of spiritual forces will be that
the human world will adapt itself to a new
social form, the justice of God will become
manifest throughout human affairs and
human equality will be universally
established. The poor will receive a great bestowal
and the rich attain eternal happiness. For
although at the present time the rich enjoy
the greatest luxury and comfort, they are
nevertheless deprived of eternal happiness;
for eternal happiness is contingent upon
giving and the poor are everywhere in the
state of abject need. Through the
manifestation of God’s great equity the poor of the
world will be rewarded and assisted fully
and there will be a readjustment in the
economic conditions of mankind so that in
the future there will not be the abnormally
rich nor the abject poor. The rich will
enjoy the privilege of this new economic
condition as well as the poor, for owing to
certain provision and restriction they will
not be able to accumulate so much as to be
burdened by its management, while the poor
will be relieved from the stress of want and
misery. The rich will enjoy his palace and
the poor will have his comfortable cottage.
The Life Of the World
The unity which is productive of unlimited results is first a unity of mankind which recognizes that all are sheltered beneath the overshadowing glory of the All-Glorious; that all are servants of one God; for all breathe the same atmosphere, live upon the same earth, move beneath the same heavens, receive effulgence from the same sun and are under the protection of one God. This is the most great unity, and its results are lasting if humanity adheres to it, but mankind has hitherto violated it, adhering to sectarian or other limited unities such as racial, patriotic or unity of self-interests; therefore no great results have been forthcoming.
Another unity is the spiritual unity which emanates from the breaths of the Holy Spirit. This is greater than the unity of mankind. Human unity or solidarity may be likened to the body whereas unity from the breaths of the Holy Spirit is the spirit animating the body. This is a perfect unity. It creates such a condition in mankind that each one will make sacrifices for the other and the utmost desire will be to forfeit life and all that pertains to it in behalf of another’s good. . . . This unity is the very spirit of the body of the world. It is impossible for the body of the world to become quickened with life without its vivification.
The Nature of Economics
The Bahá’í Cause covers all economic and
social questions under the heading and ruling
of its laws. The essence of the Bahá’í spirit
is that in order to establish a better social
order and economic condition, there must be
allegiance to the laws and principles of
government. Under the laws which are to
govern the world, the Socialists may justly
demand human rights but without resort to
force and violence. The governments will
enact these laws, establishing just legislation
and economics in order that all humanity
may enjoy full measure of welfare and
privilege; but this will always be according
to legal protection and procedure. Without
legislative administration, rights and
demands fail and the welfare of the
commonwealth cannot be realized. Today the method
of demand is the strike and resort to force
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which is manifestly wrong and destructive
of human foundations. Rightful privilege
and demand must be set forth in laws and
regulations.
While thousands are considering these questions, we have more essential purposes. The fundamentals of the whole economic condition are divine in nature and are associated with the world of the heart and spirit. This is fully explained in the Bahá’í teaching, and without knowledge of its principles no improvement in the economic state can be realized. The Bahá’ís will bring about this improvement and betterment but not through sedition and appeal to physical force; not through warfare, but welfare. Hearts must be so cemented together, love must become so dominant that the rich shall most willingly extend assistance to the poor and take steps to establish these economic adjustments permanently. If it is accomplished in this way it will be most praiseworthy because then it will be for the sake of God and in the pathway of His service.
Cooperation Essential to Man
Some of the creatures of existence can live solitary and alone. A tree for instance may live without assistance and cooperation of other trees. Some animals are isolated and lead a separate existence away from their kind. But this is impossible for man. In his life and being cooperation and association are essential. Through association and meeting we find happiness and development, individual and collective.
Difference of capacity in human individuals is fundamental. It is impossible for all to be alike, all to be equal, all to be wise. Bahá’u’lláh has revealed principles and laws which will accomplish the adjustment of varying human capacities. He has said that whatsoever is possible of accomplishment in human government will be effected through these principles. When the laws He has instituted are carried out there will be no millionaires possible in the community and likewise no extremely poor. This will be effected and regulated by adjusting the different degrees of human capacity. The fundamental basis of the community is agriculture, tillage of the soil. All must be producers. Each person in the community whose income is equal to his individual producing capacity shall be exempt from taXation. But if his income is greater than his needs he must pay a tax until an adjustment is effected. That is to say, a man’s capacity for production and his needs will be equalized and reconciled through taxation. If his production exceeds he will pay no tax; if his necessities exceed his production he shall receive an amount sufficient to equalize or adjust. Therefore taxation will be proportionate to capacity and production and there will be no poor in the community.
Oneness of the World of Humanity
The light of the sun becomes apparent in each object according to the capacity of that object. The difference is simply one of degree and receptivity. The stone would be a recipient only to a limited extent; another created thing might be as a mirror wherein the sun is fully reflected; but the same light shines upon both.
The most important thing is to polish the mirrors of hearts in order that they may become illumined and receptive of the divine light. One heart may possess the capacity of the polished mirror; another be covered and obscured by the dust and dross of this world. Although the same Sun is shining upon both, in the mirror which is polished, pure and sanctified you may behold the Sun in all its fullness, glory and power revealing its majesty and effulgence, but in the mirror which is rusted and obscured there is no capacity for reflection although so far as the Sun itself is concerned it is shining thereon and is neither lessened nor deprived. Therefore our duty lies in seeking to polish the mirrors of our hearts in order that we shall become reflectors of that light and recipients of the divine bounties which may be fully revealed through them.
This means the oneness of the world of
humanity. That is to say, when this human
body-politic reaches a state of absolute unity
the effulgence of the eternal Sun will make
its fullest light and heat manifest. Therefore
we must not make distinction between
individual members of the human family.
We must not consider any soul as barren or
deprived. Our duty lies in educating souls
so that the Sun of the bestowals of God shall
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become resplendent in them, and this is
possible through the power of the oneness of
humanity. The more love is expressed among
mankind and the stronger the power of
unity, the greater will be this reflection and
revelation, for the greatest bestowal of God
is love. Love is the source of all the bestowals
of God. Until love takes possession of the
heart no other divine bounty can be revealed
in it.
Purpose of Man’s Creation
The purpose of the creation of man is the attainment of the supreme virtues of humanity through descent of the heavenly bestowals. The purpose of man’s creation is therefore unity and harmony, not discord and separateness. If the atoms which compose the kingdom of the minerals were without affinity for each other the earth would never have been formed, the universe could not have been created. Because they have affinity for each other the power of life is able to manifest itself and the organisms of the phenomenal world become possible. When this attraction or atomic affinity is destroyed, the power of life ceases to manifest; death and non-existence result.
It is so likewise in the spiritual world. That world is the Kingdom of complete attraction and affinity. It is the Kingdom of the one divine spirit, the Kingdom of God. Therefore the affinity and love manifest in this meeting, the divine susceptibilities witnessed here, are not of this world but of the world of the Kingdom. When the souls become separated and selfish the divine bounties do not descend and the lights of the Supreme Concourse are no longer reflected even though the bodies meet together. A mirror with its back turned to the sun has no power to reflect the sun’s effulgence.
The divine Prophets came to establish the unity of the Kingdom in human hearts. All of them proclaimed the glad-tidings of the divine bestowals to the world of mankind. All brought the same message of divine love to the world.
The world has become a new world. The darkness of night which has enveloped humanity is passing. A new day has dawned. Divine susceptibilities and heavenly capacities are developing in human souls under the training of the Sun of Truth. The capacities of souls are different. Their conditions are various. For example, certain minerals come from the stony regions of the earth. All are minerals; all are produced by the same sun, but one remains a stone while another develops the capacity of a glittering gem or jewel. From one plot of land tulips and hyacinths grow; from another thorns and thistles. Each plot receives the bounty of the sunshine but the capacity to receive it is not the same. Therefore it is requisite that we must develop capacity and divine susceptibility in order that the merciful bounty of the Sun of Truth intended for this age and time in which we are living may reflect from us as light from pure crystals.
The bounties of the Blessed Perfection are infinite. We must endeavor to increase our capacity daily, to strengthen and enlarge our capabilities for receiving them; become as perfect mirrors. The more polished and clean the mirror, the more effulgent is its reflection of the lights of the Sun of Truth. Be like a well cultivated garden wherein the roses and variegated flowers of heaven are growing in fragrance and beauty. It is My hope that your hearts may become as ready ground, carefully tilled and prepared, upon which the divine showers of the bounties of the Blessed Perfection* may descend and the zephyrs of this divine springtime may blow with quickening breath. Then will the garden of your hearts bring forth its flowers of delightful fragrance to refresh the nostril of the heavenly Gardener. Let your hearts reflect the glories of the Sun of Truth in their many colors to gladden the eye of the divine Cultivator who has nourished them. Day by day become more closely attracted in order that the love of God may illumine all those with whom you come in contact. Be as one spirit, one soul, leaves of one tree, flowers of one garden, waves of one ocean.
As difference in degree of capacity exists among human souls, as difference in capability is found, therefore individualities will differ one from another. But in reality this is a reason for unity and not for discord and enmity. If the flowers of a garden were all of one color the effect would be monotonous
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*Bahá’u’lláh.
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to the eye; but if the colors are variegated it
is most pleasing and wonderful. The difference
in adornment of color and capacity of
reflection among the flowers gives the garden
its beauty and charm. Therefore although we
are of different individualities,
different in ideas and of various fragrances,
let us strive like flowers of the same divine
garden to live together in harmony. Even
though each soul has its own individual perfume
and color, all are reflecting the same
light, all contributing fragrance to the same
breeze which blows through the garden, all
continuing to grow in complete harmony and
accord. Become as waves of one sea, trees of
one forest, growing in the utmost love,
agreement and unity.
Man and Nature
Man is intelligent, instinctively and consciously intelligent; nature is not. Man is fortified with memory; nature does not possess it. Man is the discoverer of the mysteries of nature; nature is not conscious of those mysteries herself. It is evident therefore that man is dual in aspect; as an animal he is subject to nature, but in his spiritual or conscious being he transcends the world of material existence. His spiritual powers, being nobler and higher, possess virtues of which nature intrinsically has no evidence; therefore they triumph over natural conditions. These ideal virtues or powers in man surpass or surround nature, comprehend natural laws and phenomena, penetrate the mysteries of the unknown and invisible and bring them forth into the realm of the known and visible. All the existing arts and sciences were once hidden secrets of nature. By his command and control of nature man took them out of the plane of the invisible and revealed them in the plane of visibility whereas according to the exigencies of nature these secrets should have remained latent and concealed.
Science is the first emanation from God toward man. All created beings embody the potentiality of material perfection, but the power of intellectual investigation and scientific acquisition is a higher virtue specialized to man alone. Other beings and organisms are deprived of this potentiality and attainment. God has created or deposited this love of reality in man. The development and progress of a nation is according to the measure and degree of that nation’s scientific attainments. Through this means, its greatness is continually increased and day by day the welfare and prosperity of its people are assured.
How shall we utilize these gifts and expend these bounties? By directing our efforts toward the unification of the human race. We must use these powers in establishing the oneness of the world of humanity; appreciate these virtues by accomplishing the unity of the white and colored races; devote this divine intelligence to the perfecting of amity and accord among all branches of the human family, so that under the protection and providence of God, the East and West may hold each other’s hands and become as lovers. Then will mankind be as one nation, one race and kind; as waves of one ocean.
God has given man the eye of investigation by which he may see and recognize truth. He has endowed man with ears that he may hear the message of reality and conferred upon him the gift of reason by which he may discover things for himself. This is his endowment and equipment for the investigation of reality. Man is not intended to see through the eyes of another, hear through another’s ears nor comprehend with another’s brain. Each human creature has individual endowment, power and responsibility in the creative plan of God. Therefore depend upon your own reason and judgment and adhere to the outcome of your own investigation; otherwise you will be utterly submerged in the sea of ignorance and deprived of all the bounties of God. Turn to God, supplicate humbly at His threshold, seeking assistance and confirmation, that God may rend asunder the veils that obscure your vision. Then will your eyes be filled with illumination, face to face you will behold the reality of God and your heart become completely purified from the dross of ignorance, reflecting the glories and bounties of the Kingdom.
The Supernatural in Man
The philosophers of the world are divided
into two classes: materialists, who deny the
spirit and its immortality, and the divine
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philosophers, the wise men of God, the true
illuminati who believe in the spirit and its
continuance hereafter. The ancient philosophers
taught that man consists simply of
the material elements which compose his
cellular structure, and that when this composition
is disintegrated the life of man becomes extinct.
They reasoned that man is
body only, and from this elemental composition
the organs and their functions, the
senses, powers and attributes which characterize
man have proceeded, and that these
disappear completely with the physical body.
This is practically the statement of all the
materialists.
The divine philosophers proclaim that the spirit of man is everliving and eternal, and because of the objections of the materialists, these wise men of God have advanced rational proofs to support the validity of their statement. Inasmuch as the materialistic philosophers deny the Books of God, Scriptural demonstration is not evidence to them and materialistic proofs are necessary. Answering them, the men of divine knowledge have said that all existing phenomena may be resolved into grades or kingdoms, classified progressively as mineral, vegetable, animal and human, each of which possesses its degree of function and intelligence. When we consider the mineral, we find that it exists and is possessed of the power of affinity or combination. The vegetable possesses the qualities of the mineral plus the virtue augmentative or power of growth. It is therefore evident that the vegetable kingdom is superior to the mineral. The animal kingdom in turn possesses the qualities of the mineral and vegetable plus the five senses of perception whereof the kingdoms below it are minus. Likewise the power of memory inherent in the animal does not exist in the lower kingdoms.
Just as the animal is more noble than the vegetable and mineral so man is superior to the animal. The animal is bereft of ideality; that is to say, it is a captive of the world of nature and not in touch with that which lies within and beyond nature; it is without spiritual susceptibilities, deprived of the attractions of consciousness, unconscious of the world of God and incapable of deviating from the law of nature,
It is different with man. Man is possessed of the emanations of consciousness; he has perception, ideality and is capable of discovering the mysteries of the universe. All the industries, inventions and facilities surrounding our daily life were at one time hidden secrets of nature, but the reality of man penetrated them and made them subject to his purposes. According to nature’s laws they should have remained latent and hidden, but man having transcended those laws, discovered these mysteries and brought them out of the plane of the invisible into the realm of the known and visible. How wonderful is the spirit of man!
In the physical powers and senses, however, man and the animal are partners. In fact the animal is often superior to man in sense perception. For instance, the vision of some animals is exceedingly keen and the hearing of others most acute. Consider the instinct of a dog; how much greater than that of man. But although the animal shares with man all the physical virtues and senses, a spiritual power has been bestowed upon man of which the animal is devoid. This is a proof that there is something in man above and beyond the endowment of the animal; a faculty and virtue peculiar to the human kingdom and which is minus in the lower kingdoms of existence. This is the spirit of man. All these wonderful human accomplishments are due to the efficacy and penetrating power of the spirit of man. Bereft of this spirit, none of these accomplishments would have been possible. This is as evident as the sun at midday.
All the organisms of material creation are
limited to an image or form. That is to say,
each created material being is possessed of
a form; it cannot possess two forms at the
same time. For example, a body may be
spherical, triangular or square but it is
impossible for it to be two of these shapes
simultaneously. It may be triangular but if
it is to become square it must first rid itself
of the triangular shape. It is absolutely
impossible for it to be both at the same time.
Therefore it is evident in the reality of
material organisms that different forms cannot
be simultaneously possessed. In the spiritual
reality of man, however, all geometrical figures
can be simultaneously conceived; while
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in physical realities one image must be forsaken
in order that another may be possible.
This is the law of change and transformation,
and change and transformation are precursors of
mortality. Were it not for this
change in form, phenomena would be immortal; but
because the phenomenal existence is subject to
transformation, it is mortal. The reality of man,
however, is possessed
of all virtues; it is not necessary for him to
give up one image for another as mere physical
bodies do. Therefore in that reality there
is no change or transformation; it is immortal
and everlasting. The body of man may
be in America while his spirit is laboring and
working in the Far East, discovering, organizing
and planning. While occupied in governing, making
laws and erecting a building
in Russia, his body is still here in America.
What is this power which, notwithstanding
it is embodied in America, is operating at the
same time in the Orient, organizing, destroying,
upbuilding? It is the spirit of man. This
is irrefutable.
When you wish to reflect upon or consider a matter, you consult something within you. You say, shall I do it or shall I not do it? Is it better to make this journey or abandon it? Whom do you consult? Who is within you deciding this question? Surely there is a distinct power, an intelligent ego. Were it not distinct from your ego you would not be consulting it. It is greater than the faculty of thought. It is your spirit which teaches you, which advises and decides upon matters. Who is it that interrogates? Who is it that answers? There is no doubt that it is the spirit and that there is no change or transformation in it, for it is not a composition of elements, and anything that is not composed of elements is eternal. Change and transformation are peculiarities of composition. There is no change and transformation in the spirit. In proof of this the body may become weakened in its members. It may be dismembered or one of its members may be incapacitated. The whole body may be paralyzed and yet the mind, the spirit, remains ever the same. The mind decides, the thought is perfect, and yet the hand is withered, the feet have become useless, the spinal column is paralyzed and there is no muscular movement at all, but the spirit is in the same status. Dismember a healthy man; the spirit is not dismembered. Amputate his feet; his spirit is there. He may become lame; the spirit is not affected. The spirit is ever the same; no change or transformation can you perceive, and because there is no change or transformation it is everlasting and permanent.
Consider man while in the state of sleep; it is evident that all his parts and members are at a standstill, are functionless. His eye does not see, his ear does not hear, his feet and hands are motionless, but nevertheless he does see in the world of dreams, he does hear, he speaks, he walks, he may even fly in an aeroplane. Therefore it becomes evident that though the body be dead, yet the spirit is alive and permanent. Nay, the perceptions may be keener when man’s body is asleep, the flight may be higher, the hearing may be more acute; all the functions are there and yet the body is at a standstill. Hence it is proof that there is a spirit in the man and in this spirit there is no distinction as to whether the body be asleep or absolutely dead and dependent. The spirit is not incapacitated by these conditions; it is not bereft of its existence, it is not bereft of its perfections. The proofs are many, innumerable.
These are all rational proofs. Nobody can refute them. As we have shown there is a spirit and that this spirit is permanent and everlasting, we must strive to learn of it. May you become informed of its power, hasten to render it divine, to have it become sanctified and holy and make it the very light of the world, illumining the East and the West.
The Door of Divine Knowledge
In the world of existence man has traversed successive degrees until he has attained the human kingdom. In each degree of his progression he has developed capacity for advancement to the next station and condition. While in the kingdom of the mineral he was attaining the capacity for promotion into the degree of the vegetable. In the kingdom of the vegetable he underwent preparation for the world of the animal and from thence he has come onward to the human degree or kingdom. Throughout this journey of progression he has ever and always been poten tially man.
Views of the Gardens surrounding the Graves of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Family on Mt. Carmel.
Above, looking West; on the right the grave of Munírih Khánum. Below, looking East; in the center the two Monuments marking the graves of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Mother and Brother.
In the beginning of his human life man was embryonic in the world of the matrix. There he received capacity and endowment for the reality of human existence. The forces and powers necessary for this world were bestowed upon him in that limited condition. In this world he needed eyes; he received them potentially in the other. He needed ears; he obtained them there in readiness and preparation for his new existence. The powers requisite in this world were conferred upon him in the world of the matrix, so that when he entered this realm of real existence he not only possessed all necessary functions and powers but found provision for his material sustenance awaiting him.
Therefore in this world he must prepare himself for the life beyond. That which he needs in the world of the Kingdom must be obtained here.
That divine world is manifestly a world of lights; therefore man has need of illumination here. That is a world of love; the love of God is essential. It is a world of perfections; virtues or perfections must be acquired. That world is vivified by the breaths of the Holy Spirit; in this world we must seek them. That is the Kingdom of life everlasting; it must be attained during this vanishing existence.
By what means can man acquire these things? How shall he obtain these merciful gifts and powers? First, through the knowledge of God. Second, through the love of God. Third, through faith. Fourth, through philanthropic deeds. Fifth, through self-sacrifice. Sixth, through severance from this world. Seventh, through sanctity and holiness. Unless he acquires these forces and attains to these requirements he will surely be deprived of the life that is eternal.
Praise be to God! the door of divine knowledge has been opened by Bahá’u’lláh; for He has laid the foundation whereby man may become acquainted with the verities of heaven and earth and has bestowed the utmost confirmation in this day. He is our teacher and adviser; He is our seer and the one clement toward us. He has prepared His gifts and vouchsafed His bounties, revealed every admonition and behest, prepared for us the means of eternal glory, breathed upon us the life-quickening breaths of the Holy Spirit, opened before our faces the doors of the paradise of Abhá and caused the lights of the Sun of Truth to shine upon us.
The Covenant
Inasmuch as great differences and divergences of denominational belief had arisen throughout the past, every man with a new idea attributing it to God, His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh desired that there should not be any ground or reason for disagreement among the Bahá’ís. Therefore with His own Pen He wrote the Book of His Covenant, addressing His relations and all people of the world, saying: “Verily, I have appointed One who is the Center of My Covenant. All must obey Him; all must turn to Him; He is the expounder of My Book and He is informed of My purpose. All must turn to Him. Whatsoever He says is correct, for verily He knoweth the texts of My Book. Other than He, no one doth know My Book.” The purpose of this statement is that there should never be discord and disagreement among the Bahá’ís but that they should always be unified and agreed. . . . Therefore whosoever obeys the Center of the Covenant appointed by Bahá’u’lláh has obeyed Bahá’u’lláh, and whosoever disobeys Him has disobeyed Bahá’u’lláh. Beware! beware! lest any one should speak from the authority of his own thoughts or create a new thing out of himself. . . . His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh shuns such souls.
In this present cycle there will be an evolution in civilization unparalleled in the history of the world. The world of humanity has heretofore been in the stage of infancy; now it is approaching maturity. Just as the individual human organism having attained the period of maturity reaches its fullest degree of physical strength and ripened intellectual faculties, so that in one year of this ripened period there is witnessed an unprecedented measure of development, likewise the world of humanity in this cycle of its completeness and consummation will realize an immeasurable upward progress; and that power of accomplishment whereof each individual human reality is the depository of God,—that outworking universal spirit,— like the intellectual faculty, will reveal itself in infinite degrees of perfection.
THE MOST GREAT PEACE
THE gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers.
In the days of old an instinct for warfare was developed in the struggle with wild animals; this is no longer necessary; nay, rather, cooperation and mutual understanding are seen to produce the greatest welfare of mankind. Enmity is now the result of prejudice only.
Today there is no greater glory for man than that of service in the cause of the Most Great Peace. . . . Peace is the foundation of God; war is a satanic institution. . . . When we consider outcomes in the world of existence we find that peace and fellowship are factors of upbuilding and betterment whereas war and strife are the causes of destruction and disintegration. All created things are expressions of the affinity and cohesion of elementary substances, and non-existence is the absence of their attraction and agreement. Various elements unite harmoniously in composition but when these elements become discordant, repelling each other, decomposition and non-existence result. Everything partakes of this nature and is subject to this principle, for the creative foundation in all its degrees and kingdoms is an expression or outcome of love. Consider the restlessness and agitation of the human world today because of war. Peace is health and construction; war is disease and dissolution. When the banner of truth is raised, peace becomes the cause of the welfare and advancement of the human world. In all cycles and ages war has been a factor of derangement and discomfort whereas peace and brotherhood have brought security and consideration of human interests. This distinction is especially pronounced in the present world conditions, for warfare in former centuries had not attained the degree of savagery and destructiveness which now characterizes it. If two nations were at war in olden times, ten or twenty thousand would be sacrificed but in this century the destruction of one hundred thousand lives in a day is quite possible. So perfected has the science of killing become and so efficient the means and instruments of its accomplishment that a whole nation can be obliterated in a short time. Therefore comparison with the methods and results of ancient warfare is out of the question.
According to an intrinsic law, all phenomena of being attain to a summit and degree of consummation, after which a new order and condition is established. As the instruments and science of war have reached the degree of thoroughness and proficiency, it is hoped that the transformation of the human world is at hand and that in the coming centuries all the energies and inventions of man will be utilized in promoting the interests of peace and brotherhood. . . .
The powers of earth cannot withstand the privileges and bestowals which God has ordained for this great and glorious century. It is a need and exigency of the time. Man can withstand anything except that which is divinely intended and indicated for the age and its requirements. Now, Praise be to God! in all countries of the world, lovers of peace are to be found and these principles are being spread among mankind, especially in this country. . . .
There is no doubt that this wonderful democracy will be able to realize it and the banner of international agreement will be unfurled here to spread onward and outward among all the nations of the world.
Mere knowledge of principles is not
sufficient. We all know and admit that justice
is good, but there is need of volition and
action to carry out and manifest it. . . .
The ways and means must be provided. . . .
All of us know that international peace is
good, that it is conducive to human welfare
and the glory of man but volition and action
are necessary before it can be established.
Action is the essential. Inasmuch as this
century is a century of light, capacity of
action is assured to mankind. Necessarily
the divine principles will be spread among
men until the time of action arrives. Surely
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this has been so and truly the time and
conditions are ripe for action now.
There is not one soul whose conscience does not testify that in this day there is no more important matter in the world than that of Universal Peace. . . . But the wise souls who are aware of the essential relationships emanating from the realities of things consider that one single matter cannot, by itself, influence the human reality as it ought and should, for until the minds of men become united, no important matter can be accomplished. 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.
Therefore His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, fifty years ago, expounded this question of universal peace at a time when He was confined in the fortress of ‘Akká and was wronged and imprisoned. He wrote about this important matter of Universal Peace to all the sovereigns of the world, and established it among His friends in the Orient. The horizon of the East was in utter darkness, nations displayed the utmost hatred and enmity towards each other, religions thirsted for each other’s blood, and it was darkness upon darkness. At such a time His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh shone forth like the sun from the horizon of the East and illumined Persia with the lights of His teachings.
Among His teachings was the declaration of Universal Peace. People of different nations, religious and sects who followed Him came together to such an extent that remarkable gatherings were instituted consisting of the various nations and religions of the East. Every soul who entered these gatherings saw but one nation, one teaching, one pathway, one order, for the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh were not limited to the establishment of Universal Peace. They embraced many teachings which supplemented and supported that of Universal Peace.
Among these teachings was the independent investigation of reality so that the world of humanity may be saved from the darkness of imitation and attain to the truth; may tear off and cast away this ragged and outworn garment of 1000 years ago and may put on the robe woven in the utmost purity and holiness in the loom of reality. As reality is one and cannot admit of multiplicity, therefore different opinions must ultimately be fused into one.
And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the oneness of the world of humanity; that all human beings are the sheep of God and He is the kind Shepherd. This Shepherd is kind to all the sheep and should there be among these sheep ignorant ones, they must be educated; if there be children, they must be trained until they reach maturity; if there be sick ones they must be cured. There must be no hatred and enmity, for as by a kind physician these ignorant, sick ones should be treated.
And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is, that religion must be the cause of fellowship and love. If it becomes the cause of estrangement then it is not needed, for religion is like a remedy; if it aggravates the disease then it becomes unnecessary.
And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is, that religion must be in conformity with science and reason, so that it may influence the hearts of men. The foundation must be solid and must not consist of imitations.
And among the teachings of Baha’u’llah is, that religious, racial, political, economic and patriotic prejudices destroy the edifice of humanity. As long as these prejudices prevail, the world of humanity will not have rest. For a period of 6000 years history informs us about the world of humanity. During these 6000 years the world of humanity has not been free from war, strife, murder and bloodthirstiness. In every period war has been waged in one country or another and that war was due to either religious prejudice, racial prejudice, political prejudice or patriotic prejudice. . . . As long as these prejudices persist, the struggle for existence must remain dominant, and bloodthirstiness and rapacity continue. Therefore the world of humanity cannot be saved from the darkness of nature and cannot attain illumination except through the abandonment of prejudices and the acquisitions of the morals of the Kingdom.
If this prejudice and enmity are on account
of religion (consider that) religion
should be the cause of fellowship, otherwise
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it is fruitless. And if this prejudice be the
prejudice of nationality (consider that) all
mankind are of one nation; all have sprung
from the tree of Adam, and Adam is the
root of the tree. That tree is one and all
these nations are like branches, while the
individuals of humanity are like the leaves,
blossoms and fruits thereof. Then the establishment
of various nations and the consequent shedding
of blood and destruction of
the edifice of humanity result from human
ignorance and selfish motives.
As to the patriotic prejudice, this is also due to absolute ignorance, for the surface of the earth is one native land. Every one can live in any spot on the terrestrial globe. Therefore all the world is man’s birthplace. These boundaries and outlets have been devised by man. In the creation, such boundaries and outlets were not assigned. Europe is one continent, Asia is one continent, Africa is one continent, Australia is one continent, but some of the souls, from personal motives and selfish interests, have divided each one of these continents and considered a certain part as their own country. God has set up no frontier between France and Germany; they are continuous. Yea, in the first centuries, selfish souls, for the promotion of their own interests, have assigned boundaries and outlets, and have, day by day, attached more importance to these, until this led to intense enmity, bloodshed and rapacity in subsequent centuries. In the same way this will continue indefinitely, and if this conception of patriotism remains limited within a certain circle, it will be the primary cause of the world’s destruction. No wise and just person will acknowledge these imaginary distinctions. Every limited area which we call our native country we regard as our mother-land, whereas the terrestrial globe is the mother-land of all, and not any restricted area. In short, for a few days we live on this earth and eventually we are buried in it, it is our eternal tomb. Is it worth while that we should engage in bloodshed and tear one another to pieces for this eternal tomb? Nay, far from it, neither is God pleased with such conduct nor would any sane man approve of it. . . .
Regarding the economic prejudice, it is apparent that whenever the ties between nations become strengthened and the exchange of commodities accelerated, and any economic principle is established in one country, it will ultimately affect the other countries and universal benefits will result. Then why this prejudice?
As to the political prejudice, the policy of God must be followed and it is indisputable that the policy of God is greater than human policy. We must follow the Divine policy and that applies alike to all individuals. He treats all individuals alike: no distinction is made, and that is the foundation of the Divine Religions.
And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the origination of one language that may be spread universally among the people. This teaching was revealed from the pen of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh in order that this universal language may eliminate misunderstandings from among mankind.
And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is the equality of men and women. The world of humanity has two wings—one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.
And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is voluntary sharing of one’s property with others among mankind. This voluntary sharing is greater than equality, and consists in this, that man should not prefer himself to others, but rather should sacrifice his life and property for others. But this should not be introduced by coercion so that it becomes a law and man is compelled to follow it. 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.
And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is man’s freedom, that through the ideal Power he should be free and emancipated from the captivity of the world of nature. This matter of the struggle for existence is the fountain-head of all calamities and is the supreme affliction.
And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh
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is that religion is a mighty bulwark. If the
edifice of religion shakes and totters,
commotion and chaos will ensue and the order
of things will be utterly upset, for in the
world of mankind there are two safeguards
that protect man from wrong-doing. One
is the law which punishes the criminal; but
the law prevents only the manifest crime
and not the concealed sin; whereas the ideal
safeguard, namely, the religion of God, prevents
both the manifest and the concealed
crime, trains man, educates morals, compels
the adoption of virtues and is the all-inclusive
power which guarantees the felicity
of the world of mankind. But by religion
is meant that which is ascertained by
investigation and not that which is based on
mere imitation, the foundation of Divine
Religions and not human imitations.
And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is that although material civilization is one of the means of progress of the world of mankind, yet until it becomes combined with Divine civilization, the desired result, which is the felicity of mankind, will not be attained. Consider! These battleships that reduce a city to ruins within the space of an hour are the result of material civilization; likewise the Krupp guns, the Mauser rifles, dynamite, submarines, torpedo boats, armed aircraft and bombing aeroplanes—all these weapons of war are the malignant fruits of material civilization. Had material civilization been combined with Divine civilization, these fiery weapons would never have been invented. Nay, rather, human energy would have been wholly devoted to useful inventions and would have been concentrated on praiseworthy discoveries. . . . Material civilization is like the body. No matter how infinitely graceful, elegant and beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise, it becomes a corpse. It has thus been made clear that the world of mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness. For the world of nature is an animal world. Until man is born again from the world of nature, that is to say, becomes detached from the world of nature, he is essentially an animal, and it is the teachings of God which convert this animal into a human soul.
And among the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh is the promotion of education. Every child must be instructed in sciences as much as is necessary. If the parents are able to provide the expenses of this education, it is all right, otherwise the community must provide the means for the teaching of that child.
And among the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh is justice and right. Until these are realized on the plane of existence, all things shall be in disorder and remain imperfect. The world of mankind is a world of oppression and cruelty, and a world of aggression and error.
In fine, such teachings are numerous. These manifold principles, which constitute the greatest basis for the felicity of mankind and are of the bounties of the Merciful, must be added to the matter of Universal Peace and combined with it so that results may accrue. . . . If the question is restricted to Universal Peace alone, the remarkable results which are expected and desired will not be attained. The scope of Universal Peace must be such that all the communities and religions may find their highest wish realized in it. . . .
For example, the people of religions find, in the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh, the establishment of Universal Religion—a religion that perfectly conforms with present conditions. . . . For if we wish to arrange and organize the world of mankind in accordance with the present religious imitations and thereby to establish the felicity of the world of mankind, it is impossible and impracticable. . . . But the essential basis of all Divine Religions which pertains to the virtues of the world of mankind and is the foundation of the welfare of the world of man, is found in the teachings of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh in the most perfect presentation. . . .
For example, the question of Universal
Peace, about which His Holiness Baha’u’llah
says that the Supreme Tribunal must be
established: 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
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Bahá’u’lláh has described will fulfill
this sacred task with the utmost might and
power. And His plan is this: that the
national assemblies of each country and
nation—that is to say, parliaments—should
elect two or three persons who are the
choicest men of that nation, and are well
informed concerning international laws and
the relations between governments and are
aware of the essential needs of humanity in
this day. The number of these
representatives
should be in proportion to the number
of inhabitants of that country. The election
of these souls who are chosen by the national
assembly—that is, the parliament—must be
confirmed by the upper house, the congress
and the cabinet and also by the president or
monarch so that these persons may be the
elected ones of all the nation and the government.
From among these people the members of the Supreme
Tribunal will be elected,
and all mankind will thus have a share
therein, for every one of these delegates is
fully representative of his nation. When the
Supreme Tribunal gives a ruling on any
international question, either unanimously
or by majority rule, there will no longer be
any pretext for the plaintiff or ground of
objection for the defendant. In case any
of the governments or nations, in the execution
of the irrefutable decision of the
Supreme Tribunal, be negligent or dilatory,
the rest of the nations will rise up against it,
because all the governments and nations of
the world are the supporters of this Supreme
Tribunal. Consider what a firm foundation
this is! But by a limited and restricted
League the purpose will not be realized as it
ought and should. This is the truth about
the situation which has been stated.
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 insure 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.
A few, unaware of the power latent in human endeavor, consider this matter as highly impracticable, nay, even beyond the scope of man’s utmost efforts. Such is not the case, however. On the contrary, thanks to the unfailing grace of God, the loving-kindness of His favored ones, the unrivalled endeayors of wise and capable souls, and the thoughts and ideas of the peerless leaders of this age, nothing whatever can be regarded as unattainable. Endeavor, ceaseless endeavor is required. Nothing short of an indomitable determination can possibly achieve it. . . .
In cycles gone by, though harmony was
established, yet owing to the absence of
means, the unity of all mankind could not
have been achieved. Continents remained
widely divided, nay even among the peoples
of one and the same continent association
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and interchange of thought were well nigh
impossible. Consequently intercourse,
understanding and unity amongst all the peoples
and kindreds Of the earth were unattainable.
In this day, however, means of communication
have multiplied, and the five continents
of the earth have virtually merged into
one. . . . In like manner 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. Of
this past ages have been deprived, for this
century—the century of light—has been
endowed with 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.
Behold how its light is now dawning upon the world’s darkened horizon. The first candle is unity in the political realm, the early glimmerings of which can now be discerned. The second candle is unity of thought in world undertakings, the consummation of which will erelong be witnessed. The third candle is unity in freedom which will surely come to pass. The fourth candle is unity in religion which is the corner-stone of the foundation itself, and which, by the power of God, will be revealed in all its splendor. The fifth candle is unity of the nations—a unity which in this century will be securely established, causing all the peoples of the world to regard themselves as citizens of one common fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races, making of all that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh candle is unity of language, i.e., the choice of a universal tongue in which all peoples will be instructed and converse. Each and every one of these will inevitably come to pass inasmuch as the power of the Kingdom of God will aid and assist in their realization.
EVENTS IN BAHÁ’Í HISTORY IN WORDS
OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH AND ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
The Life and Mission of Bahá’u’lláh in Words of Bahá’u’lláh
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. Ask of the city wherein I dwelt, that thou mayest be well assured that I am not of them who speak falsely. 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.
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At the time when His Majesty the Sháh,
may God, his Lord, the Most Merciful, aid
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him through His strengthening grace, was
planning a journey to Iṣfáhán, this Wronged
One, having obtained his permission, visited
the holy and luminous resting-places of the
Imáms, may the blessings of God be upon
them! Upon Our return, We proceeded to
Lavasan on account of the excessive heat
prevailing in the capital. Following Our
departure, there occurred the attempt upon the
life of His Majesty, may God, exalted and
glorified be He, assist him. Those days were
troublous days, and the fires of hatred burned
high. Many were arrested, among them this
Wronged One. 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
Níyávarán, 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 Ṭihrán. 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 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 Bábís, 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.”
And when this Wronged One went forth out of His prison, We journeyed, in pursuance of the order of His Majesty the Sháh —may God, exalted be He, protect him—to ‘Iráq, escorted by officers in the service of the esteemed and honored governments of Persia and Russia. After Our arrival, We revealed, as a copious rain, by the aid of God and His Divine grace and mercy, Our verses, and sent them to various parts of the world. We exhorted all men, and particularly this people, through Our wise counsels and loving admonitions, and forbade them to engage in sedition, quarrels, disputes and conflict. As a result of this, and by the grace of God, waywardness and folly were changed into piety and understanding, and weapons converted into instruments of peace.
During the days I lay in the prison of Ṭihrán, though the galling weight of the chains and the stench-filled air allowed Me but little sleep, still in those infrequent moments of slumber I felt as if something flowed from the crown of My head over My breast, even as a mighty torrent that precipitateth itself upon the earth from the summit of a lofty mountain. Every limb of My body would, as a result, be set afire.
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This Wronged One hath, in the face of all that hath befallen Him at their hands, and all that hath been said of Him, endured patiently, and held His peace, inasmuch as it is Our purpose, through the loving providence of God—exalted be His glory—and His surpassing mercy, to abolish, through the force of Our utterance, all disputes, war, and bloodshed, from the face of the earth. Under all conditions We have, in spite of
Views of the Graves of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Mother and Brother.
Between the columns of their monuments can be seen that of the Greatest Holy Leaf, Bahíyyih Khánum.
what they have said, endured with seemly patience, and have left them to God.
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That which hath touched this Wronged One is beyond compare or equal. We have borne it all with the utmost willingness and resignation, so that the souls of men may be edified, and the Word of God be exalted. While confined in the prison of the Land of Mím (Mázindarán) We were one day delivered into the hands of the divines. Thou canst well imagine what befell Us. Shouldst thou at sometime happen to visit the dungeon of His Majesty the Sháh, ask the director and chief jailer to show thee those two chains, one of which is known as Qará-Guhar, and the other as Salásil. I swear by the Day-Star of Justice that for four months this Wronged One was tormented and chained by one or the other of them.
IN THE WORDS OF ‘ABDU’L—BAHÁ
BAHÁ’U’LLÁH appeared at a time when the Persian Empire was immersed in profound obscurantism and ignorance, and lost in the blindest fanaticism.
In the European histories, no doubt, you have read detailed accounts of the morals, customs, and ideas of the Persians during the last centuries. It is useless to repeat them. Briefly, we will say that Persia had fallen so low that to all foreign travellers it was a matter of regret that this country, which in former times had been so glorious and highly civilized, had now become so decayed, ruined and upset.
It was at this time that Bahá’u’lláh appeared. His father was one of the viziers, not one of the ‘Ulamá.1 As all the people of Persia know, he had never studied in any school, nor had he associated with the ‘Ulamá or the men of learning. The early part of his life was passed in the greatest happiness. His companions and associates were Persians of the highest rank, but not learned men.
As soon as the Báb became manifested, Bahá’u’lláh said, "This great man is the Lord of the righteous, and faith in him is incumbent upon all,” And he arose to assist the Báb, and gave many proofs and positive evidences of His truth, in spite of the fact that the ‘Ulamá of the state religion had constrained the Persian Government to oppose and resist him, and had further issued decrees ordering the massacre, pillage, persecution and expulsion of His followers. In all the provinces they began to kill, to burn, to pillage the converts and even assault the women and children. Regardless of this, Bahá’u’lláh arose to proclaim the word of
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1Clergy.
the Báb with the greatest firmness and energy. Not for one moment was he in concealment; he mixed openly with His enemies. He was occupied in showing forth evidences and proofs, and was recognized as the herald of the word of God. In many changes and chances he endured the greatest misfortunes, and at every moment he ran the risk of being martyred.
He was put into chains, and confined in an underground prison. His vast property and inheritance were pillaged and confiscated. He was exiled four times, and found rest only in the “Greatest Prison.”2
In spite of all this he never ceased for one instant his proclamation of the greatness of the Cause of God. He manifested such virtue, knowledge, and perfections, that he became a wonder to all the people of Persia. So much so that in Ṭihrán, Baghdád, Constantinople, Roumelia, and even in ‘Akká, every one of the learned and scientific men who entered His presence, whether friend or enemy, never failed to receive the most sufficient and convincing answer to whatever question was propounded. All frequently acknowledged that he was alone and unique in his perfections.
It often happened that in Baghdád certain Muḥammádan ‘Ulamá, Jewish rabbis, and Christians, met together with some European scholars, in a blessed reunion: each one had some question to propose, and although they were possessed of varying degrees of culture, they each heard a sufficient and convincing reply, and retired satisfied. Even the Persian
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2Exiled first to Baghdád, then to Constantinople, then to Adrianople, he was imprisoned in ‘Akká (Acre), “the Greatest Prison,” in 1869.
‘Ulamá who were at Karbilá and Najaf chose a wise man whom they sent on a mission to him; his name was Mullá Ḥasan Ámu. He came into the Holy Presence, and proposed a number of questions on behalf of the ‘Ulamá, to which Bahá’u’lláh replied. Then Ḥasan Ámu said: “The ‘Ulamá recognize without hesitation and confess the knowledge and virtue of Bahá’u’lláh, and they are unanimously convinced that in all learning he has no peer or equal; and it is also evident that he has never studied or acquired this learning”; but still the ‘Ulamá said: "We are not contented with this, we do not acknowledge the reality of his mission by virtue of wisdom and righteousness. Therefore we ask him to show us a miracle in order to satisfy and tranquillize our hearts.”
Bahá’u’lláh replied: “Although you have no right to ask this, for God should test His creatures, and they should not test God, still I allow and accept this request. But the Cause of God is not a theatrical display that is presented every hour, of which some new diversion may be asked for every day. If it were thus, the Cause of God would become mere child’s play.
The ‘Ulamá must therefore assemble and with one accord choose one miracle, and write that after the performance of this miracle they will no longer entertain doubts about me, and that all will acknowledge and confess the truth of my Cause. Let them seal this paper and bring it to me. This must be the accepted criterion: If the miracle is performed, no doubt will remain for them; and if not, we shall be convicted of imposture.” The learned man, Ḥasan Ámu, rose and replied, “There is no more to be said”; he then kissed the knee of the Blessed One although he was not a believer, and went. He gathered the ‘Ulamá and gave them the sacred message. They consulted together and said, ”This man is an enchanter: perhaps he will perform an enchantment, and then we shall have nothing more to say.” Acting on this belief, they did not dare to push the matter further.
This man, Ḥasan Ámu, mentioned this fact at many meetings. After leaving Karbilá he went to Kirmánsháh and Ṭihrán, and spread a detailed account of it everywhere, laying emphasis on the fear and the withdrawal of the ‘Ulamá.
Briefly, all his adversaries in the Orient acknowledged his greatness, grandeur, knowledge, and virtue; and though they were his enemies, they always spoke of him as ”the renowned Bahá’u’lláh.”
At the time when this great Light suddenly arose upon the horizon of Persia, all the people, the ministers, the ‘Ulamá, and men of other classes rose against him, pursuing him with the greatest animosity, and proclaiming "that this man wishes to suppress and destroy religion, the law, the nation, and the empire.” The same was said of Christ. But Bahá’u’lláh alone and without support resisted them all, without ever showing the least weakness. At last they said: “As long as this man is in Persia there will be no peace and tranquillity; we must banish him, so that Persia may return to a state of quietude.”
They proceeded to use violence towards him to oblige him to ask for permission to leave Persia, thinking that by this means the light of his truth would be extinguished; but the result was quite the contrary. The Cause became magnified, and its flame more intense. At first it spread throughout Persia only, but the exile of Bahá’u’lláh caused the diffusion of the Cause throughout other countries. Afterwards his enemies said, "‘Iráq (‘Arabi)1 is not far enough from Persia; we must send him to a more distant kingdom.” This is why the Persian Government determined to send Bahá’u’lláh from ‘Iráq to Constantinople. Again the event proved that the Cause was not in the least weakened; once more they said, “Constantinople is a place of passage and of sojourn for various races and peoples, among them are many Persians.” For this reason the Persians further exiled him to Roumelia; but, when there, the flame became more powerful, and the Cause more exalted. At last the Persians said, "Not one of these places is safe from his influence; we must send him to some place where he will be reduced to powerlessness, and where his family and followers will have to submit to the direst afflictions.” So they chose the prison of ‘Akká, which is reserved especially for murderers, thieves, and highway robbers, and in truth they classed
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1The district in which Baghdád is situated.
him with such people. But the power of God became still further manifested, for his prison became the means of the promulgation of his doctrine, and the proclamation of his word. The greatness of Baha’u’llah then became evident, for it was from this prison and under such circumstances that he caused Persia to advance from knowledge to knowledge. He. overcame all his enemies, and proved to them that they could not resist the Cause. His holy teachings penetrated all regions, and his Cause was established.
Indeed, in all parts of Persia his enemies arose against him with the greatest hatred, imprisoning, killing, and beating his eonverts; and burning and razing to the ground thousands of dwellings, striving by every means to exterminate and crush the Cause. In spite of all this, from the prison of murderers, highway robbers, and thieves, it became exalted. His teachings were spread abroad, and his exhortations affected many of those who had been the most full of hatred, and made them firm believers; even the Persian government itself became awakened, and regretted the evils that had arisen through the fault of the ‘Ulamá.
When Bahá’u’lláh came to this prison in the Holy Land, the wise men realized that the glad tidings which God gave through the tongue of the Prophets two or three thousand years before, were again manifested, and that God was faithful to His promise; for to some of the Prophets He had revealed and given the good news that "the Lord of Hosts should be manifested in the Holy Land.” All these promises were fulfilled; and it is difficult to understand how Bahá’u’lláh could have been obliged to leave Persia, and to pitch his tent in this Holy Land, but for the persecution of his enemies, his banishment, and exile. His enemies intended that his imprisonment should completely destroy and annihilate the blessed Cause, but this prison was in reality of the greatest assistance, and became the means of its development. The divine renown of Bahá’u’lláh reached the East and the West, and the rays of the Sun of Truth illuminated all the world. Praise be to God! though he was a prisoner, his tent was raised on Mount Carmel, and he moved abroad with the greatest majesty. Every person, friend, or stranger, who was honoured by his presence used to say, "This is a prince, not a captive.”
As soon as he arrived at this prison he addressed an epistle to Napoleon,1which he sent through the French ambassador. The gist of it was: "Ask what is our crime, and why we are confined in this prison and this dungeon.” Napoleon made no reply. Then a second epistle was issued, which is contained in the Súratu’l-Haykal.2 The epitome of it is: “Oh Napoleon, as thou hast not listened to my proclamation, and as thou has not answered it, thy dominion will before long be taken away from thee and thou wilt be utterly destroyed.” This epistle was sent to Napoleon by post, through the care of Cesar Ketafagoo,3 as was known to all the companions of his exile. Copies of this epistle were rapidly spread throughout the whole of Persia, for the Kitábu’l-Haykal was then in circulation in Persia, and this letter was among the contents of this book. This happened in 1869 A.D., and as the Súratu’l-Haykal was circulated in Persia and India, and was in the hands of all believers, the fulfilment of the prophecy contained in this letter was confidently expected. Not long after, in 1870 A.D., the war between Germany and France broke out; and though no one at that time expected the victory of Germany, Napoleon was defeated, and dishonoured, he surrendered to his enemies, and his glory was changed into deep abasement.
Tablets4 were also sent to other kings, and amongst them was the letter to H.M. Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh. In that epistle Bahá’u’lláh said: “Have me summoned, gather the ‘Ulamá, and ask for proofs and arguments, so that the truth and falsehood may become known.” H.M. Náṣiri’d-Dín Sháh sent the blessed epistle to the ‘Ulamá and proposed to them that they should undertake this mission, but they dared not do so. Then he asked seven of the most celebrated among them to write an answer to the challenge. After some time they returned the
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1Napoleon III.
2One of Bahá’u’lláh’s works written after his Declarations.
3Son of a French Consul in Syria with whom Bahá’u’lláh had friendly relations.
4Name given to the epistles of Bahá’u’lláh.
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blessed letter, saying, “This man is the
opposer of religion and the enemy of the
Sháh.” His majesty the Sháh of Persia was
much vexed, and said, “This is a question
for proofs and arguments, and of truth or
falsehood: how can it refer to politics?
Alas! how much we respected these ‘Ulamá,
who cannot even reply to this epistle.”
Briefly, all that was recorded in the Tablets to the Kings has nearly been fulfilled: if from the year 1870 A.D. we compare the events that have occurred, we will find that nearly all have appeared as predicted; only a few remain which will afterwards become manifested.
So also foreign peoples, and other sects who were not believers, attributed many wonderful things to Bahá’u’lláh: some believed that he was a saint, and some even wrote of him. One of them Sayyid Dawoudi, a Sunnite savant of Baghdád, wrote a short treatise in which he recorded some supernatural acts. Even now, in all parts of the East, there are some people who, though they do not believe in his Manifestation, nevertheless believe him to be a saint and have faith in his miracles.
To sum up, both his antagonists and his partisans, as well as all those who were received in the sacred spot, acknowledged and bore witness to the greatness of Bahá’u’lláh; though they did not believe in him, still they acknowledged his grandeur, and as soon as they entered the sacred spot, the presence of Bahá’u’lláh produced such an effect on most of them that they could not utter a word. How many times it happened that one of his most bitter enemies would resolve within himself: “I will say such and such things when I reach his presence, and I will dispute and argue thus with him,” but when he entered the Holy Presence he would become amazed and confounded, and remain speechless.
Bahá’u’lláh had never studied Arabic, he had not had a tutor or teacher nor had he entered a school; nevertheless the eloquence and elegance of his blessed expositions in Arabic, as well as his Arabic writings, caused astonishment and stupefaction to the most accomplished Arabic scholars, and all recognized and declared that he was incomparable and unequalled.
If we carefully examine the text of the Bible, we see that the Divine Manifestation never said to those who denied him, “Whatever miracle you desire, I am ready to perform, and I will submit to whatever test you propose.” But in the Epistle to the Sháh, Bahá’u’lláh said clearly, “Gather the ‘Ulamá and summon me, that the evidences and proofs may be established.”
For fifty years Bahá’u’lláh faced his enemies like a mountain: all wished to annihilate him and sought his destruction. A thousand times they planned to crucify and destroy him, and during these fifty years he was in constant danger.
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The Blessed Perfection Baha’u’llah belonged to the royal family of Persia. From earliest childhood he was distinguished among his relatives and friends. They said, “This child has extraordinary power.” In wisdom, intelligence and as a source of new knowledge he was advanced beyond his age and superior to his surroundings. All who knew him were astonished at his precocity. It was usual for them to say, “Such a child will not live,” for it is commonly believed that precocious children do not reach maturity. During the period of youth the Blessed Perfection did not enter school. He was not willing to be taught. This fact is well established among the Persians of Ṭihrán. Nevertheless he was capable of solving the difficult problems of all who came to him. In whatever meeting, scientific assembly or theological discussion he was found, he became the authority of explanation upon intricate and abstruse questions presented.
Until his father passed away Bahá’u’lláh did not seek position or political station notwithstanding his connection with the government. This occasioned surprise and comment. It was frequently said "How is it that a young man of such keen intelligence and subtle perception does not seek lucrative appointments? As a matter of fact, every position is open to him.” This is a historical statement fully attested by the people of Persia.
He was most generous, giving abundantly
to the poor. None who came to him were
turned away. The doors of his house were
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open to all. He always had many guests.
This unbounded generosity was conducive
to greater astonishment from the fact that
he sought neither position nor prominence.
In commenting upon this his friends said
he would become impoverished, for his
expenses were many and his wealth becoming
more and more limited. “Why is he not
thinking of his own affairs?” they inquired
of each other; but some who were wise
declared “This personage is connected with
another world; he has something sublime
within him that is not evident now; the day
is coming when it will be manifested.” In
truth the Blessed Perfection was a refuge
for every weak one, a shelter for every
fearing one, kind to every indigent one,
lenient and loving to all creatures.
He became well known in regard to these qualities before His Holiness the Báb appeared. Then Bahá’u’lláh declared the Báb’s mission to be true and promulgated his teachings. The Báb announced that the greater Manifestation would take place after him and called the promised one "Him whom God would manifest,” saying that nine years later the reality of his own mission would become apparent. In his writings he stated that in the ninth year this expected one would be known; in the ninth year they would attain to all glory and felicity; in the ninth year they would advance rapidly. Between Bahá’u’lláh and the Báb there was communication privately. The Báb wrote a letter containing three hundred and sixty derivatives of the root "Bahá.” The Báb was martyred in Tabríz, and Bahá’u’lláh exiled into ‘Iráq—Arabi in 1852, announced himself in Baghdád. For the Persian Government had decided that as long as he remained in Persia the peace of the country would be disturbed; therefore he was exiled in the expectation that Persia would become quiet. His banishment however produced the opposite effect. New tumult arose and the mention of his greatness and influence spread everywhere throughout the country. The proclamation and mission was made in Baghdád. He called his friends together there and spoke to them of God. Afterwards he left the city and went alone into the mountains of Kurdistán where he made his abode in caves and grottoes. A part of this time he lived in the city of Sulimaniyye. Two years passed during which neither his friends not family knew just where he was.
Although solitary, secluded and unknown in his retirement, the report spread throughout Kurdistán that this was a most remarkable and learned personage gifted with a wonderful power of attraction. In a short time Kurdistán was magnetized with his love. During this period Bahá’u’lláh lived in poverty. His garments were those of the poor and needy. His food was that of the indigent and lowly. An atmosphere of majesty haloed him as the sun at midday. Everywhere he was greatly revered and beloved. After two years he returned to Baghdád.
The Persian government believed the banishment of the Blessed Perfection from Persia would be the extermination of his cause in that country. These rulers now realized that it spread more rapidly. His prestige increased, his teachings became more widely circulated. The chiefs of Persia then used their influence to have Bahá’u’lláh exiled from Baghdád. He was summoned to Constantinople by the Turkish authorities. While in Constantinople he ignored every restriction, especially the hostility of ministers of state and clergy. The official representatives of Persia again brought their influence to bear upon the Turkish authorities and succeeded in having Bahá’u’lláh banished from Constantinople to Adrianople, the object being to keep him as far away as possible from Persia and render his communication with that country more difficult. Nevertheless the cause still spread and strengthened. Finally they consulted together and said, "We have banished Bahá’u’lláh from place to place, but each time he is exiled his cause is more widely extended, his proclamation increases in power and day by day his lamp is becoming brighter. This is due to the fact that we have exiled him to large cities and populous centers. Therefore we will send him to a penal colony as a prisoner so that all may know he is the associate of murderers, robbers and criminals; in a short time he and his followers will perish.” The sultan of Turkey then banished him to the prison of ‘Akká in Syria.
When Bahá’u’lláh arrived at ‘Akká,
through the power of God he was able to
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hoist his banner. His light at first had
been a star; now it became a mighty sun
and the illumination of his cause expanded
from the east to the west. Inside prison
walls he wrote epistles to all the kings and
rulers of nations summoning them to arbitration
and Universal Peace. Some of the
kings received his words with disdain and
contempt. One of these was the sultan of
the Ottoman kingdom. Napoleon III of
France did not reply. A second epistle was
addressed to him. It stated "I have written
you an epistle before this, summoning you
to the cause of God but you are of the
heedless. You have proclaimed that you
were the defender of the oppressed; now it
hath become evident that you are not. Nor
are you kind to your own suffering and
oppressed people. Your actions are contrary
to your own interests and your kingly pride
must fall. Because of your arrogance God
shortly will destroy your sovereignty. France
will flee away from you and you will be
overwhelmed by a great conquest. There
will be lamentation and mourning, women
bemoaning the loss of their sons.” This
arraignment of Napoleon III was published and
spread.
Read it and consider: One prisoner, single and solitary, without assistant or defender, a foreigner and stranger imprisoned in the fortress of ‘Akká writing such letters to the emperor of France and sultan of Turkey. Reflect upon this, how Bahá’u’lláh upraised the standard of his cause in prison. Refer to history. It is without parallel. No such thing has happened before that time nor since; a prisoner and an exile advancing his cause and spreading his teachings broadcast so that eventually he became powerful enough to conquer the very king who banished him.
His cause spread more and more. The Blessed Perfection was a prisoner twenty-five years. During all this time he was subjected to the indignities and revilement of the people. He was persecuted, mocked and put in chains. In Persia, his properties were pillaged and his possessions confiscated. First, banishment from Persia to Baghdád; then to Constantinople; then to Adrianople; finally from Roumelia to the prison fortress of ‘Akká.
During his lifetime he was intensely active. His energy was unlimited. Scarcely one night was passed in restful sleep. He bore these ordeals, suffered these calamities and difficulties in order that a manifestation of selflessness and service might become apparent in the world of humanity; that the “Most Great Peace” should become a reality; that human souls might appear as the angels of heaven; that heavenly miracles would be wrought among men; that human faith should be strengthened and perfected; that the precious, priceless bestowal of God—the human mind—might be developed to its fullest capacity in the temple of the body; and man become the reflection and likeness of God, even as it hath been revealed in the Bible “We shall create man in our own image.”
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The Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’lláh, endured hardships and vicissitudes nearly fifty years. There was no ordeal or difficulty he did not experience, yet he endured all in perfect joy and happiness.
Those who beheld him were assured of his great happiness for no trace of sadness or sorrow was ever visible upon his face. Even in prison he was like a king enthroned in majesty and greatness, and he ever bore himself with supreme confidence and dignity. When the officers and grandees of the government were presented to him they became respectful at once. His majesty and dignity were awe-inspiring. Remember he was a prisoner—he was in prison. He endured ordeals and calamities for the sole purpose of illuminating us and in order that our hearts might be attracted to the kingdom of God, our faces become radiant with the Glad Tidings of God; in order that we might be submerged in the ocean of lights and be as brilliant and shining candles illuminating the dark recesses and flooding the regions with brightness.
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In the Orient, the various peoples and
nations were in a state of antagonism and
strife, manifesting the utmost enmity and
hatred toward each other. Darkness encompassed
the world of mankind. At such
a time as this, Bahá’u’lláh appeared. He removed
[Page 165]
The New Entrance to the Garden surrounding the Resting Places of the Sister, Mother, Brother, and Wife of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, on Mt. Carmel, Haifa.
all the imitations and prejudices
which had caused separation and misunderstanding,
and laid the foundation of the
one religion of God. When this was accomplished,
Muḥammadans, Christians, Jews,
Zoroastrians, Buddhists all were united in
actual fellowship and love. They live together
in love, fellowship and unity. They
have attained to the condition of rebirth
in the spirit of God. They have become revivified
and regenerated through the breaths
of the Holy Spirit. Praise be to God! this light
has come forth from the East, and eventually
there shall be no discord or enmity in
the Orient. Through the power of Bahá’u’lláh
all will be united. His Holiness upraised
this standard of the oneness of humanity
in prison. When subjected to banishment by
two kings, while a refugee from enemies of
all nations and during the days of his
long imprisonment he wrote to the kings and
rulers of the world in words of wonderful
eloquence arraigning them severely and
summoning them to the divine standard of unity
and justice. He exhorted them to peace and
international agreement, making it incumbent
upon them to establish a board of
international arbitration; that from all
nations and governments of the world there
should be delegates selected for a congress of
nations which should constitute a universal
arbitral court of justice to settle international
disputes. He wrote to Victoria, queen
of Great Britain, the Czar of Russia, the
emperor of Germany, Napoleon III of France,
and others, inviting them to world unity
and peace. Through a heavenly power he
was enabled to promulgate these ideals in
the Orient. Kings could not withstand him.
They endeavored to extinguish his light but
served only to increase its intensity and
illumination. While in prison he stood against
the sháh of Persia and sulṭán of Turkey
and promulgated his teachings until he
firmly established the manner of truth and
the oneness of humankind. I was a prisoner
with him for forty years until the Young
Turks of the Committee of Union and
Progress overthrew the despotism of ‘Abdul
Ḥamíd, dethroned him and proclaimed liberty.
This committee set me free from
tyranny and oppression; otherwise I should
[Page 166]
have been in prison until the days of my life
were ended. The purport is this, that Bahá’u’lláh
in prison was able to proclaim and
establish the foundations of peace, although
two despotic kings were his enemies and
oppressors. The king of Persia,
Náṣiri’d-Dín-Sháh had killed twenty thousand
Bahá’ís, martyrs who in absolute severance
and complete willingness offered their lives
joyfully for their faith. These two powerful
and tyrannical kings could not withstand a
prisoner; this prisoner upheld the standard
of humanity and brought the people of the
Orient into agreement and unity. Today in
the East, only those who have not followed
Bahá’u’lláh are in opposition and enmity.
The people of the nations who have accepted
him as the standard of divine guidance
enjoy a condition of actual fellowship and
love. If you should attend a meeting in the
East you could not distinguish between
Christian and Mussulman; you would not
know which was Jew, Zoroastrian or Buddhist,
so completely have they become fraternized
and their religious differences been
leveled. They associate in the utmost love
and spiritual fragrance as if they belonged
to one family, as if they were one people.
THE LIFE AND MISSION OF THE BÁB IN THE WORDS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
THOUGH young and tender of age, and though the Cause He revealed was contrary to the desire of all the peoples of earth, both high and low, rich and poor, exalted and abased, king and subject, yet He arose and steadfastly proclaimed it. All have known and heard this. He was afraid of no one; He was regardless of consequences. Could such a thing be made manifest except through the power of a divine Revelation, and the potency of God’s invincible Will? By the righteousness of God! Were any one to entertain so great a Revelation in his heart, the thought of such a declaration would alone confound him! Were the hearts of all men to be crowded into his heart, he would still hesitate to venture upon so awful an enterprise. He could achieve it only by the permission of God, only if the channel of his heart were to be linked with the Source of divine grace, and his soul be assured of the unfailing sustenance of the Almighty. To what, we wonder, do they ascribe so great a daring? Do they accuse Him of folly as they accused the Prophets of old? Or do they maintain that His motive was none other than leadership and the acquisition of earthly riches?
Gracious God! In His book, which He hath entitled “Qayyúmu’l-Asmá’,”—the first, the greatest and mightiest of all books —He prophesied His own martyrdom. In it is this passage: “O thou Remnant of God! I have sacrificed myself wholly for Thee; I have accepted curses for Thy sake; and have yearned for naught but martrydom in the path of Thy love. Sufficient Witness unto me is God, the Exalted, the Protector, the Ancient of Days!”
Likewise, in His interpretation of the
letter “Ha,” He craved martyrdom, saying:
“Methinks I heard a Voice calling in my
inmost being: Do thou sacrifice the thing
which Thou lovest most in the path of God,
even as Ḥusayn, peace be upon him, hath
offered up his life for My sake?” And were
I not regardful of this inevitable mystery,
by Him, Who hath my being between His
hands, even if all the kings of the earth
were to be leagued together they would be
powerless to take from me a single letter,
how much less can these servants who are
worthy of no attention, and who verily
are of the outcast . . . That all may know
the degree of My patience, My resignation,
and self-sacrifice in the path of God.”
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IN THE WORDS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
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AS FOR the Báb—may my soul be his sacrifice!—at a youthful age, that is to say when he had reached the twenty-fifth year of his blessed life, he stood forth to proclaim his Cause. It was universally admitted by the Shiites that he had never studied in any school, and had not acquired knowledge from any teacher; all the people of Shíráz bear witness to this. Nevertheless, he suddenly appeared before the people, endowed with the most complete erudition. Although he was but a merchant, he confounded all the ‘Ulamá1 of Persia. All alone, in a way which is beyond imagination, he upheld the Cause against the Persians, who are renowned for their religious fanaticism. This illustrious soul arose with such power that he shook the supports of the religion, of the morals, the conditions, the habits, and the customs of Persia, and instituted new rules, new laws, and a new religion. Though the great personages of the State, nearly all the clergy, and the public men, arose to destroy and annihilate him, he alone withstood them, and moved the whole of Persia.
Many ‘Ulamá and public men, as well as other people, joyfully sacrificed their lives in his Cause, and hastened to the plain of martyrdom.
The government, the nation, the doctors of divinity, and the great personages, desired to extinguish his light, but they could not do so. At last his moon arose, his star shone forth, his foundations became firmly established, and his dawning-place became brilliant. He imparted divine education, and produced marvellous results on the thoughts, morals, customs, and conditions of the Persians. He announced the glad tidings of the manifestation of the Sun of Bahá’í to his followers, and prepared them to believe.
The appearance of such wonderful signs and great results, the effects produced upon the minds of the people, and upon the prevailing ideas; the establishment of the foundations of progress, and the organization of the principles of success and prosperity by a young merchant, constitute the
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1Doctors of the religion of Islám.
greatest proof that he was a perfect educator. A just person will never hesitate to believe this.
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This is May 23, the anniversary of the message and declaration of His Holiness the Báb. It is a blessed day and the dawn of manifestation, for the appearance of the Báb was the early light of the true morn whereas the manifestation of the Blessed Beauty, Bahá’u’lláh, was the shining forth of the sun. Therefore it is a blessed day, the inception of the heavenly bounty, the beginning of the divine effulgence. On this day in 1844, His Holiness the Báb was sent forth heralding and proclaiming the kingdom of God, announcing the glad-tidings of the coming of His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh and withstanding the opposition of the whole Persian nation. Some of the Persians followed him. For this they suffered the most grievous difficulties and severe ordeals. They withstood the tests with wonderful power and sublime heroism. Thousands were cast into prison, punished, persecuted and martyred. Their homes were pillaged and destroyed, their possessions confiscated. They sacrificed their lives most willingly and remained unshaken in their faith to the very end. Those wonderful souls are the lamps of God, the stars of sanctity, shining gloriously from the eternal horizon of the will of God.
His Holiness the Báb was subjected to bitter persecution in Shíráz, where he first proclaimed his mission and message. A period of famine afflicted that region and the Báb journeyed to Iṣfahán. There the learned men arose against him in great hostility. He was arrested and sent to Tabríz. From thence he was transferred to Maku and finally imprisoned in the strong castle of Chihrik. Afterward he was martyred in Tabríz.
This is merely an outline of the history of His Holiness the Báb. He withstood all persecutions and bore every suffering and ordeal with unflinching strength. The more his enemies endeavored to extinguish that flame the brighter it became. Day by day
Two Views of the Interior of the International Archives.
Recently opened auxiliary archives building in the Garden surrounding the Resting Places of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s family, on Mt. Carmel and containing relics associated with His Sister, Mother, and Brother.
his cause spread and strengthened. During the time when he was among the people he was constantly heralding the coming of Bahá’u’lláh. In all his books and tablets he mentioned Bahá’u’lláh and announced the glad-tidings of his manifestation, prophesying that he would reveal himself in the ninth year. He said that in the ninth year "you will attain to all happiness”; in the ninth year “you will be blessed with the meeting of the promised one of whom I have spoken.” He mentioned the Blessed Perfection, Bahá’u’lláh, by the title “Him whom God should make manifest.” In brief, that blessed soul offered his very life in the pathway of Bahá’u’lláh even as it is recorded in historical writings and records. In his first book The Best of Stories he says “O Remnant of God! I am wholly sacrificed to thee; I am content with curses in thy path; I crave nought but to be slain in thy love; and God the supreme sufficeth as an eternal protection.”
His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh was a Persian personage having descended from prominent lineage. During his early years a youth whose name was ‘Alí Moḥammed appeared in Persia. He was entitled the "Báb,” which means “door” or ”gate.” The bearer of this title was a great soul from whom spiritual signs and evidences became manifest. He withstood the tests of time and lived contrary to the custom and usages of Persia. He revealed a new system of faith opposed to the beliefs in his country and promulgated certain principles contrary to the thoughts of the people. For this, that remarkable personality was imprisoned by the Persian government. Eventually by order of the government he was martyred. The account of this martyrdom briefly stated is as follows: He was suspended in a square as a target and shot to death. This revered personage foreshadowed the advent of another soul of whom he said “When he cometh he shall reveal greater things unto you.”
THE LIFE AND MISSION OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ IN THE WORDS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
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 except the Most Mighty Branch (‘Abdu’l-Bahá).
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When the Mystic Dove will have winged its flight from its Sanctuary of Praise and sought its far-off goal, its hidden habitation, refer ye whatsoever ye understand not in the Book to Him Who branched from this mighty Stock.
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My glory, the ocean of My loving-kindness, the sun of My bounty, the heaven of My mercy rest upon Thee. We pray God to illumine the world through Thy knowledge and wisdom, to ordain for Thee that which will gladden Thine heart and impart consolation to Thine eyes.
We have made Thee a shelter for all mankind, a shield unto all who are in heaven and on earth, a stronghold for whosoever hath believed in God, the Incomparable, the All-knowing. God grant that through Thee He may protect them, may enrich and sustain them, that He may inspire Thee with that which shall be a well-spring of wealth unto all created things, an ocean of bounty unto all men, and the dayspring of mercy unto all people.
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Blessed, doubly blessed, is the ground which His footsteps have trodden, the eye that hath been cheered by the beauty of His countenance, the ear that hath been honored by hearkening to His call, the heart that hath tasted the sweetness of His love, the breast that hath dilated through His remembrance, the pen that hath voiced His praise, the scroll that hath borne the testimony of His writings.
IN THE WORDS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
DURING our imprisonment in ‘Akká, means of comfort were lacking, troubles and persecutions of all kinds surrounded us, yet notwithstanding such distressful conditions we were able to endure these trials for forty years. The climate was very bad, necessities and conveniences of life were denied us, yet we endured this narrow prison forty years. What was the reason? The spirit was strengthening and resuscitating the body constantly. We lived through this long, difficult period in the utmost love and heavenly servitude. The spirit must assist the body under certain conditions which surround us, because the body of itself cannot endure the extreme strain of such hardships.
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I was a prisoner with him (Bahá’u’lláh) for forty years until the Young Turks of the Committee of Union and Progress overthrew the despotism of ‘Abdu’l—Hamid, dethroned him and proclaimed liberty. This committee set me free from tyranny and oppression.
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I was happy in imprisonment. I was in the utmost elation because I was not a criminal. They had imprisoned me in the path of God. Every time I thought of this, that I was a prisoner in the pathway of God, the utmost elation overcame me. . . . I was happy that—praise be to God!—I was a prisoner in the cause of God, that my life was not wasted, that it was spent in the divine service. Nobody who saw me imagined that I was in prison. They beheld me in the utmost joy, complete thankfulness and health, paying no attention to the prison.
I have come from distant countries of the Orient where the lights of heaven have ever shone forth; from regions where the Manifestations of God have appeared and the radiance and power of God have been revealed to mankind. The purpose and intention of my visit is that perchance a bond of unity and agreement may be established between the East and West, that divine love may encompass all nations, divine radiance enlighten both continents and the bounties of the Holy Spirit revivify the body of the world.
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I was in the Orient, and from the Orient to this part of the world is a long distance. Travel is difficult, especially difficult for me on account of my infirmities of body, increased by forty years in prison. My physical powers are weak; it is the power of will that sustains me. Realize from this how great has been my exertion and how strong my purpose in accomplishing this journey through the will of God. May it be the cause of great illumination in the Occident.
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In Washington we met a group of important people. One prominent in political circles came with a justice of the supreme court. . . . There were also dignitaries present at this meeting, several Cabinet officers, United States senators, many from the foreign diplomatic service, army and navy officials and other dignitaries. . . . We spoke to all from their own standpoints with most satisfactory results; working day and night, so there was very little time for individual and private interviews. . . . In Washington too, we called a meeting of the colored and white people. The attendance was very large, the colored people predominating. At our second gathering this was reversed, but at the third meeting we were unable to say which color predominated. These meetings were a great practical lesson upon the unity of colors and races in the Bahá’í teaching.
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In this world we judge a cause or movement by its progress and development. Some movements appear, manifest a brief period of activity, then discontinue. Others show forth a greater measure of growth and strength, but before attaining mature development, weaken, disintegrate and are lost in oblivion. Neither of these mentioned are progressive and permanent.
There is still another kind of movement
or cause which from a very small,
inconspicuous beginning goes forward with sure
and steady progress, gradually broadening
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and widening until it has assumed universal
dimensions. The Bahá’í movement is of this
nature. For instance, when Bahá’u’lláh was
exiled from Persia with ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and
the rest of his family, they traveled the
long road from Ṭihrán to Baghdád, passing
through many towns and villages. During the
whole of that journey and distance
they did not meet a single believer in the
cause for which they had been banished.
At that time very little was known about it
in any part of the world. Even in Baghdád
there was but one believer who had been
taught by Bahá’u’lláh himself in Persia.
Later on two or three others appeared. You
will see therefore that at the beginning, the
cause of Bahá’u’lláh was almost unknown,
but on account of being a divine movement
it grew and developed with irresistible
spiritual power until in this day wherever
you travel east or west and in whatever
country you journey you will meet Bahá’í
assemblies and institutions. This is an
evidence that the Bahá’ís are spreading the
blessings of unity and progressive development
throughout the world under the direction of
divine guidance and purpose,
while other movements which are only temporary
in their activities and accomplishments have
no real, universal significance.
THE SUFFERINGS OF THE FOLLOWERS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH AND THE BÁB IN THE WORDS OF BAHÁ’U’LLÁH
THIS people have passed beyond the narrow straits of names, and pitched their tents upon the shores of the sea of renunciation. They would willingly lay down a myriad lives, rather than breathe the word desired by their enemies. They have clung to that which pleaseth God, and are wholly detached and freed from the things which pertain unto men. They have preferred to have their heads cut off rather than utter one unseemly word. Ponder this in thine heart. Methinks they have quaffed their fill of the ocean of renunciation. The life of the present World hath failed to withhold them from suffering martyrdom in the path of God.
In Mázindarán a vast number of the servants of God were exterminated. The Governor, under the influence of calumniators, robbed a great many of all that they possessed. Among the charges he laid against them was that they had been laying up arms, whereas upon investigation it was found out that they had nothing but an unloaded rifle! 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 and 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 ban 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.
Remember the father of Badí. They arrested that wronged one, and ordered him to curse and revile his Faith. He, however, through the grace of God and the mercy of his Lord, chose martyrdom, and attained thereunto. If ye would reckon up the martyrs in the path of God, ye could not count them. . . .
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Do thou ponder on the penetrative influence
of the Word of God. Every single
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one of these souls was first ordered to
blaspheme and curse his faith, yet none was
found to prefer his own will to the Will of
God.
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For the victims of oppression to intercede in favor of their enemies is, in the estimation of rulers, a princely deed. Some must have certainly heard that this oppressed people have, in that city (‘Ishqábád), pleaded with the Governor on behalf of their murderers, and asked for the mitigation of their sentence. Take, then, good heed, ye who are men of insight!
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Such was their faith, that most of them renounced their substance and kindred, and cleaved to the good-pleasure of the All-Glorious. They laid down their lives for their Well-Beloved, and surrendered their all in His path. Their breasts were made targets for the darts of the enemy, and their heads adorned the spears of the infidel. . . .
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Their deeds, alone, testify to the truth of their words. Doth not the testimony of these holy souls, who have so gloriously risen to offer up their lives for their Beloved that the whole world marvelled at the manner of their sacrifice, suffice the people of this day?
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Should anyone seek to be acquainted with the condition of this Wronged One, let him be told that these captives whom the world hath persecuted and the nations wronged have, for days and nights, been entirely denied the barest means of subsistence. We are loth to mention such things, neither have We had, nor do We have now, any desire to complain against Our accuser. Within the walls of this prison a highly-esteemed man was for some time obliged to break stones that he might earn a living, whilst others had, at times, to nourish themselves with that Divine sustenance which is hunger! We entreat God—exalted and glorified be He—to aid all men to be just and fair-minded, and to graciously assist them to repent and return unto Him. He, verily, heareth, and is ready to answer.
IN THE WORDS OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHÁ
BAHÁ’U’LLÁH declared the “Most Great Peace” and international arbitration. He voiced these principles in numerous epistles which were circulated broadcast throughout the east. He wrote to all the kings and rulers encouraging, advising and admonishing them in regard to the establishment of peace; making it evident by conclusive proofs that the happiness and glory of humanity can only be assured through disarmament and arbitration. This was nearly fifty years ago. Because he promulgated the message of Universal Peace and international agreement, the kings of the Orient arose against him for they did not find their personal and national benefits advanced by his admonition and teaching. They persecuted him bitterly, inflicted upon him every torment, imprisoned, bastinadoed, banished him and eventually confined him in a fortress. Then they arose against his followers. For the establishment of international peace the blood of twenty thousand Bahá’ís was spilt. Their homes were destroyed, their children made captives and their possessions pillaged, yet none of these people waxed cold or wavered in devotion. Even to this day the Bahá’ís are persecuted, and quite recently a number were killed, for wherever they are found they put forth the greatest efforts to establish the peace of the world. They not only promulgate principles; they are people of action.
In Persia today through the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh you will find people of various religious beliefs and denominations living together in the utmost peace and agreement. The former enmities and hatred have passed away and they exercise the utmost love toward all mankind for they realize and know that all are the creatures and servants of one God.
