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STAR OF THE WEST
"We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; that all nations shall become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men shall be strengthened; that diversity of religion shall cease and differences of race be annulled. So it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come."—BAHA'O'LLAH.
Vol. VIII Jalal 1, 73 (April 9, 1917) No. 2
The Divine Art of Living
A COMPILATION BY MARY M. RABB
[Chapter I appeared in issue No. 16, Vol. VII; Chapter II appeared in issue No. 18, Vol. VII.]
CHAPTER III
Some Practical Applications of the Spiritual Life
MATERIAL affairs are of two kinds. The first kind are those concerns which have no direct relation to life. They contribute toward luxury, effeminacy, indolence. Indulgence in these things makes one negligent of God and stifles all traces of spirituality. The other kind are those affairs which contribute toward the maintenance of livelihood, adding to the comfort, happiness and progress of the human family. Spiritual powers come always to the assistance of such affairs,—they increase the moral insight and responsibility of man and add to his awareness and mindfulness.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, May 14, 1914.)
Man must live in contentment with the conditions of his time. He must not make himself the slave of any habit. He eat a piece of stale bread with the same relish and enjoyment as the most sumptuous dinner. Contentment is real wealth. If one develops within himself the quality of contentment he will become independent. Contentment is the creator of happiness. When one is contented he does not care either for riches or poverty. He lives above the influence of them and is indifferent to them. When we were in Bagdad often with one pound of meat we served dinner to fifteen or twenty people. We cooked with it Persian stew and filled the pot with water so everyone could have a bowl of thin soup. Notwithstanding this we were all very happy and thought that ours was the most delicious dinner.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, October 25, 1913.)
How complex is the life of the present age and how much more complex we are making it daily! The needs of humanity seem never to come to an end. The more men accumulate the more they want. There is only one way of freedom and that is by shutting one's eyes and heart to all these things which distract the mind. The Arab of the desert teaches us a great lesson in the simple life. Living as he does in the waste Sahara he lacks all the means of life except a crude tent, a rug or mat, a caldron, a sword hanging to the inside pole of the tent and a javelin tied to the outside pole. This is all his furniture. Then, if he is wealthy he has a mare, or a horse, a few camels and maybe adjoining his tent a palm grove. It never occurs to his mind that there is anything else in this world. He is happy and has no worries. His food consists of a bowl of milk and a few dates and he may well wonder at the city man, how he can digest all the different kind of dishes with their flavors and spices. His
thought is peaceful and serene, contrary to the city people who are always haunted by the nightmare of livelihood.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, September 21, 1913.)
Economy is the foundation of human prosperity. The spendthrift is always in trouble. Prodigality on the part of any person is an unpardonable sin. The fewer the habits, the better for the man. It is a divine virtue to be satisfied with very few things. Contentment is the antidote for all the social diseases. We must live an independent life. We must never live on others like a parasitic plant. Every person must have a profession, whether it be literary or manual, and must live a clean, manly, honest life, an example of purity to be imitated by others. Contentment is the master-key to all success. If the members of my family starve I will not ask money from the people. It is more kingly to be satisfied with a crust of stale bread than to enjoy a good dinner composed of many delicious dishes the money for which comes out of the pockets of others. . . . A Bahai must be satisfied. There was a time that I lived on five cents a day and I was then much happier than I am now. The Persian Bahais often live in the utmost poverty and want, yet they never complain nor ask for money from any one. Begging they consider to be below their spiritual station. A man who is the beneficiary of the treasury of the Kingdom is not poor. There have been some rich Bahais in Persia, whose properties were entirely confiscated. Being thus reduced to utter destitution they went out cheerfully to work and in their turn spent all they made for the maintenance of the poorer Bahai families. Love, yea, love must be demonstrated through deeds. Love has never been a passive verb, a figure of speech; it has always been an active verb, an ideal reality. The sign of true faith is the service of the believers of God and service must always manifest itself in loving deeds and actions. . . .
A small business with a steady income is better than the wild, helter-skelter speculations of the financiers.
The mind of a contented person is always peaceful and his heart is at rest. He is like a monarch ruling over the whole world. How happily such a man helps himself to his frugal meals. How joyfully he takes his walks and how peacefully he sleeps!
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, August 24, 1914.)
At the table on board the Cedric Abdul-Baha spoke about simple diet—how much better it is for one's constitution to eat but one or two courses. One of the American Bahais asked him whether he would not prescribe a simple regime of diet for the believers, upon his arrival in America. He laughed heartily and said: "We do not interfere with their material food, but we shall give them a simple diet of spiritual food. This is our work." (Words of Abdul-Baha; from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, July 20, 1913.)
The life of the Arabs in the interior is most simple. Their principal food consists of the milk of the camel and a few dates. These Arabs do not like the atmosphere of the city. They revel in the expansiveness of the desert. The other day a few of the Bedouin women taunted our women because they are living in the town, while the Bedouin women were happy to breathe the fresh air of the desert. When, years ago, I traveled from Acca to Tiberias, in our caravan there was a beautiful Bedouin woman riding on a camel. She was listless and thoughtful. In the same caravan there was a young Christian who was struck with the beauty of this Arab girl and her dark eyes. After some futile attempts he suceeded in establishing
himself in her favor. As I was near I could hear their conversation. He was telling her:
"Thou art so beautiful! Why dost thou not come to the city?"
"Why?"
"O, thou wilt be married to a rich man!"
"What will he do for me?"
"He will build for thee a lovely house, thou wilt be served as a queen; servants and maids will wait on thee; thou wilt walk through green gardens, thou wilt sleep on soft beds instead of sand; thy husband will buy for thee many precious jewels with which thou wilt decorate thy body; he will surround thee with wonderful objects the like of which thou hast never seen even in thy dreams!"
The girl straightened herself on her camel and looked at the youth with pity and contempt in her whole demeanor.
"I have my beloved desert, vast, broad, and immeasurable," she said. "What do I want with your cave-like, cage-like and boxlike houses. There the air is stuffy. Here the whole expanse of the Sahara is our avenues and boulevards. Here is my home—the palace of immensity; the residence of God's own children. Fie upon your town and your civilization and your snobbish manners! I hate them! I cannot hear to look at them! They are all cheap tricks sanctioned by your so-called society. You come abroad to display your crafty etiquette of mock modesty and respectability, while in reality you are physically and morally corrupt, afflicted with loathsome diseases. Away from me! Let me stay where I am! My home is the Sahara, my couch is the soft sand, my decorations are God's virtues, my lamps by night the moon and stars."
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, May 5, 1914.)
Wealth becomes the cause of heedlessmess to many souls with the exception of those who are believers in God and read the verses of God. For this reason his holiness Christ hath said: "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." But blessed is the rich man whose wealth and opulence do not prevent him from turning his face toward God and whose heart is not attached to his possessions. Such a rich man is the light of the world.
Today Baron Rothschild came to Haifa. He is one of the wealthiest men of Europe. He is much interested in the Jewish colonization of Palestine and is devoting much of his time and attention to this problem. Now he has gone to Tiberias. He is busy all the time. He could not stay longer than one hour.
All the people are toiling and laboring to attain to the station of a rich man. Life to many rich men is nothing but a heavy burden. They are "wood carriers." Instead of a blessing wealth becomes a great calamity to them. The supervision of their colossal fortunes and their proper financial administration becomes the sole object of their lives. Day and night, asleep and awake, they think and work to make their piles larger and that of others smaller till finally they become more money machines devoid of any other feeling or of higher emotions, wild-eyed, always hungering for more. Greed and selfishness become the dominant influences of their lives. Grab, grab, grab; right and left they grab at everything. In the mad rush and struggle for more lucre, for more worldly goods they walk over the bodies of the toilers and the children. They become the embodiment of heartlessness and cruelty. Pride and haughtiness lord it over them and they become mere tools in the hands of sordid, fiendish passion. . . . Wealth has a tempting and drawing quality. It bewilders the sight of its charmed victims with showy appearances and draws them on and on to the edge of yawning chasms. It makes a person self-centered, self-occupied, forgetful of God and of holy things.
On the other hand there are souls who
are the essence of existence; in their estimation wealth offers no attractions. If the doors of the heavenly blessings are opened before their faces, if they become the possessors of the riches of all the world, if the mountains of the earth turn into diamonds, if the oceans of the globe change into gold . . . their spiritual independence will undergo no change or alteration, their faith in God will increase, their mindfulness will augment, the heat of the fire of their love for true democracy and the education of mankind will burn away all barriers of ostentation and pride. Their intense passion for God will wax greater day by day. Such rich men are in reality the light-bearing stars of the heaven of mankind, because they have been tried and tested and have come out of the crucible as pure gold . . . unalloyed and unadulterated. With all the wealth of the world at their feet they are yet mindful of God and humanity, they spend their acquired riches for the dispelling of the darkness of ignorance and employ their treasures for the alleviation of the misery of the children of God. The light of such rich men will never grow dim and the tree of their generosity will grow in size and stature, producing fruits in all seasons. Their every deed will be as an example for succeeding generations.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, February 24, 1914.)
It behooves thee to sever thyself from all desires save from thy Lord the Supreme, expecting no help or aid from any one in the universe, not even from thy father and children! Resign thyself to God. Content thyself with but little of this world's goods. Verily, economy is a great treasure. If any one of thy relatives oppress thee, complain not against him before the magistrates; rather, manifest magnificent patience during every calamity and hardship. Verily, thy Master is the Lord of faithfulness! Forgive and overlook the shortcomings which have appeared in that one—for the sake of love and affection. Know that nothing will benefit thee in this life save supplication and invocation unto God, service in his vineyard, and with a heart full of love to be in constant service unto him.
If thy daily living become difficult, soon God, thy Lord, will bestow upon thee that which will satisfy thee. Be patient in the time of affliction and trial, endure every difficulty and hardship with a dilated heart, attracted spirit and eloquent tongue in remembrance of the Merciful. Verily, this is the life of satisfaction, of spiritual existence, heavenly repose, divine benediction, and the celestial table. Soon the Lord will extenuate thy straightened circumstances, even in this world.
(Tablets of Abdul-Baha; Vol. 1, p. 97.)
Be not grieved on account of poverty for true wealth is surging and inundating like unto the ocean.
(Words of Abdul-Baha.)
Read Some Answered Questions
Pages 89-91
When I was in Paris one of the believers brought me a soft cushion and urged me to put it under my head. I became accustomed to it and as there is none in this hotel my neck has pained me all these nights. To be the slave of custom is the worst habit. I will have none of it! When I was young I often had a brick or a piece of rock as my pillow, and I slept soundly."
Haji Niaz said that he had a soft cushion with him and asked to be allowed to go out and bring it. Abdul-Baha answered:
"No, no! I must get accustomed to my natural ways. This would not do. One must never accustom himself to anything
the absence of which may disturb his comfort."
(Words of Abdul-Baha from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, July 17 , 1913.)
I cannot understand why people insist on the fact that one cannot give up a thing once he is accustomed to it. One can do it very easily if he makes up his mind fully, resolving to quit it forever. It is all a matter of character and determination.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, August 17, 1914.)
He (Abdul-Baha) eulogized unreservedly the untiring activity and zeal of Esmael Aga (the gardener).
"Devotion to and love for one's vocation accomplishes miracles," he said.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, July 11, 1914.)
Man must be tireless in his effort. Once his effort is directed in the proper channel if he does not succeed today he will succeed tomorrow. Effort in itself is one of the noblest traits of human character. Devotion to one's calling, effort in its speedy execution, simplicity of spirit and steadfastness through all the ups and downs, these are the hallmarks of success. A person characterized with these attributes will gather the fruits of his labors and will win the happiness of the kingdom.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, July 8, 1914.)
This morning I (Mirza Sohrab) called on him (Abdul-Baha) early and he spoke to me about the concentration of one's powers. "Water flowing from one spring has more force and energy than if the same water is divided between eight springs," he said. "Try always to concentrate your activities into one channel and let that one be the Cause of Baha'o'llah. Then you shall see how the confirmations of God will descend."
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, December 13, 1912.)
Praise be to God that you have come into this desert and exalted the name of God. The nomads are utterly destitute of the knowledge of God. They live an animalistic life and all their thoughts are centered upon their cows, goats and crops. When they come together they speak of nothing else save these things. They know nothing else. Nominally they are Moslems, but they are unaware of the ideals of Mohammed. . . . I am most pleased with you and am satisfied with your conduct. I hope that you may become assisted and confirmed in the good pleasure of the Lord. . . . May your spiritual perception become keener, your attention to God more complete and your spirituality an example for others. When you are plowing the ground or sowing the seeds or reaping the harvest let all your thoughts and sub-conscious thinking be of God. Your hands and feet will be working but your heart must be attached to the Almighty. The body of man is created for this world but his heart is made for the habitation of the Holy Spirit.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, May 17, 1914.)
Cleanliness and sanctity in all conditions are characteristics of pure beings and necessities of free souls.
The primary perfection consists in cleanliness and sanctity and in purity from every defect. When man in all conditions is pure and immaculate he will become a center for the reflection of the manifest light. In all man's actions and conduct there must first be purity, then beauty and independence. The channel must be cleansed before it can be filled with sweet water. The pure nostrils inhale
(Continued on page 23)
STAR OF THE WEST
PUBLISHED NINETEEN TIMES A YEAR
By the BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, 515 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
Entered as second-class matter April 9, 1911, at the post office at Chicago, Illinois, under the Act of March 3, 1879.
Terms: $1.50 per year; 10 cents per copy
Make Money Orders payable to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U. S. A.
To personal checks please add sufficient to cover the bank exchange.
Address all communications to BAHAI NEWS SERVICE, P. O. Box 283, Chicago, Ill., U.S.A.
TABLET FROM ABDUL-BAHA.
HE IS GOD!
O thou Star of the West!
Be thou happy! Be thou happy! Shouldst thou continue to remain firm and eternal, ere long, thou shalt become the Star of the East and shalt spread in every country and clime. Thou art the first paper of the Bahais which is organized in the country of America. Although for the present thy subscribers are limited, thy form is small and thy voice weak, yet shouldst thou stand unshakable, become the object of the attention of the friends and the center of the generosity of the leaders of the faith who are firm in the Covenant, in the future thy subscribers will become hosts after hosts like unto the waves of the sea; thy volume will increase, thy arena will become vast and spacious and thy voice and fame will be raised and become world-wide—and at last thou shalt become the first paper of the world of humanity. Yet all these depend upon firmness, firmness, firmness!
(Signed) ABDUL-BAHA ABBAS.
Vol. VIII
No. 2
Tidings from Egypt—Word from Elinor Hiscox
BEGINNING the winter of 1911-12, my chief work has been with the advanced student class, all of whom speak English fluently. I felt led by the spirit to invite two, whom I knew, to come to me. Much impressed by what was said, they wished to bring their friends. The number gradually increased until the group became so large that we had to divide it and two evenings every week my room would be filled with these earnest seekers for truth. The presence of the spirit was evident and I prayed much for them individually. Some of these students became devoted Bahais and attained the blessing of seeing Abdul-Baha at Ramleh. These have become active Workers in the Cause and they continue to lead their friends to know the truth of Baha'o'llah. After the students graduate from the higher schools and colleges at Cairo, many go to smaller towns as lawyers, teachers, or to fill other positions. With some of them, I correspond regularly to keep them in touch with Bahai influences.
One of my best helpers in the Cause graduated from the law college here and is now a successful lawyer. He has a clear and penetrative mind, with great capacity for receiving the Truth and imparting it to others, and for meeting any arguments or doubts which may arise in the inquirer. Through his influence, many young men have been brought to me and have accepted the message. Among them were his two brothers, who have become devoted to the Cause, and these three brothers are now among the best known Bahais and workers in Egypt. Upon the invitation of Abdul-Baha, one of them visited him at Haifa, and Abdul-Baha requested him to have regular weekly Bahai meetings at his house in Alexandria, where he is a teacher in one of the government schools. I have seen much of his young wife and she also has become a sincere Bahai.
One devout young soul, who heard and accepted the message only during the past year, a telegraph operator in another town, has won such a spiritual influence over his associates that several of them also have become ardent Bahais.
Much of the time I am the only western Bahai in Egypt and the demands upon me are incessant and varied. To instruct inquirers, strengthen the weak or doubting ones, visit the ill and suffering, give advice and counsel, encourage and aid in the education of girls, seek positions of employment, apply for help
for the needy, comfort the afflicted,—all of these involve an endless amount of visits, interviews and letter-writing. And I have this year helped to collect and have sent funds from the Egyptian Bahais to the Mashrak-El-Azkar in America. As I usually pass the summers at Alexandria and Ramleh, my field of service lies also there.
It is all God's work, not mine, and through much faith and prayer, I am only a channel for the spirit of God to work through.
Elinor Hiscox.
The Divine Art of Living—Chapter Three
(Continued from page 21)
the perfumes of the rose garden of bounty, the pure heart becomes the mirror of the beauty of truth. This is why in the heavenly books the divine counsels and commands have been compared to water. So, in the Koran it is said: "And we have caused a pure water to descend from heaven"; and in the Gospel, "Except a man has received the baptism of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Then it is evident that the divine teachings are the heavenly grace and the showers of the mercy of God which purify the hearts of men.
The meaning is in all conditions cleanliness and sanctity, purity and delicacy exalt humanity and make the contingent beings progress.
Even when applied to physical things delicacy causes the attainment of spirituality as it is established in the holy scriptures.
External cleanliness although it is but a physical thing has great influence upon spirituality. For example, although sound is but the vibration of the air which affects the typanum of the ear and although vibrations of the air are but an accident among the accidents which depend upon the air, deeply consider how the marvelous notes of a charming song influence the spirits! A wonderful song gives wings to the spirit and fills the heart with exaltation.
I return to the subject that the fact of having a pure and spotless body likewise exercises an influence upon the spirit of man. Now see how much purity is approved in the court of God that it should be especially mentioned in the holy books of the prophets! So the holy books forbid the eating of any unclean things or the use of anything which is not pure. Certain prohibitions are absolute and imperative for all; he who commits that which is forbidden is detested by God and is excluded from the number of the elect. This applies to the things forbidden by an absolute prohibition, the perpetration of which is a grave sin; they are so vile that even to mention them is shameful. There are other forbidden things which do not cause an immediate evil and whose pernicious effect is only gradually produced. They are also abhorred, blamed and rejected by God but their prohibition is not recorded in an absolute way though cleanliness and sanctity, spotlessness and purity, the preservation of health and independence are required by these interdictions.
One of these last prohibitions is the smoking of tobacco which is unclean, malodorous, disagreeable and vulgar and of which the gradual harmfulness is universally recognized. All clever physicians have judged and have also shown by experiment that one of the constituents of tobacco is a mortal poison and that smokers are exposed to different indispositions and maladies. . . .
I wish to say that, in the sight of God, the smoking of tobacco is a thing which is blamed and condemned, very unclean and the result is by degrees injurious. Besides it is a cause of expense and of loss of time and it is a harmful habit. So, for those who are firm in the Covenant it is a thing discountenanced by the reason and by tradition, the renouncement of which giveth gradual repose and tranquillity,
permitteth one to have stainless hands and a clean mouth and hair which is not pervaded by a bad odor. . . .
As to the question of opium, disgusting and execrating, I resign myself to God for its punishment. The formal text of the Kitab-El-Akdas forbids and reproves it and, according to reason, its use leads to madness. Experience has shown that he who gives himself up to it is completely excluded from the world of humanity. . . . Happy is he who never mentions the word opium! . . .
O friends of God, experience has shown how much the renouncing of tobacco, wine and opium gives health, strength and intellectual enjoyment, penetration of judgment and physical vigor. There exists today a tribe, the Druses, which refrains and abstains from tobacco, alcohol and opium and it completely excels all others in power, in bravery, in health, beauty and grace. A single one of these men can withstand ten men of other tribes and this has been universally proved. That is to say, generally, the individuals of this tribe are superior to the individuals of the other tribes.
(Tablets of Abdul-Baha; Vol. 3, pp. 581-585.)
Regarding the use of liquors, according to the text of the Book of Akdas, both strong and light drinks are prohibited. The reason for this prohibition is that liquor leads the minds astray and is the cause of weakening the body. If alcohol were beneficial it would have been brought into the world by the divine creation and not by the effort of man. Whatever is beneficial for man exists in creation. Now it has been proven and established medically and scientifically that liquors are harmful. Therefore the meaning of that which is written in the tablets—"I have chosen for thee whatsoever is in the heavens and earth"—are those things which are according to the divine creation and not the things which are harmful. For instance, poison is one of the things: now how can we say that poisons are to be used habitually because God has created them for man? However, as to the spirituous liquors if prescribed by a doctor for the patient, and their use is necessary, then they may be used as directed.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from tablet to an American believer; translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, May 12, 1910.)
While looking from the window Abdul-Baha said: "We hear the murmur of the sea always continuing. It never ceases. Were it to cease the world would be dead, stagnant, lifeless. But the waves of the mind of man are far greater than those of the sea. They also are ceaseless. They never stop for one instant. This movement is good. If these waves of the mind are few the man is dull and quiet. What pearls and jewels are contained in the depths of the sea! But the pearls and jewels hidden in the mind of man are the knowledge, virtues, capabilities, etc. These pearls can grow and increase in lustre forever but the pearls of the sea remain always the same. These waves from our minds go forth and create movement and thought in other minds. From one strong thought of love what great results may be produced."
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from notes of Miss Rosenberg, London, England; taken at Acca, January, 1909.)
Profitless discussions fatigue and weary a person. People who call on me almost every day carry on a stream of profitless, unspiritual talk and I must listen to them with patience. We are commanded to associate with all the people. Today three persons called and they talked for one hour without any definite result.
Man's speech is the revealer of his heart. In whatever world the heart travels, man's conversation will revolve
around that center. From his words you can understand in what world he is traveling, whether he is looking upward toward the realm of light or downward to the nether world, whether he is mindful or unaware, whether he is awake or asleep, whether he is alive or dead. For this reason his holiness Ali says: "Man is hidden behind his tongue. Out of the abundance of his heart does man speak."
There are persons with whom you associate and converse whose utterances are life-imparting, joy-giving. The withered and faded are refreshed, the joyless become happy, the extinct become enkindled and the lifeless are quickened with the breaths of the Holy Spirit. The one drowned in the sea of hesitation and doubt is saved by the life-boat of certainty and assurance; the one attached to this material world becomes severed and the one steeped in blameworthy deeds is adorned with praiseworthy attributes. On the other hand there are some persons whose very respiration extinguishes the light of faith; whose conversation weakens firmness and steadfastness in the Cause of God; whose company diverts one's attention from the kingdom of Abha.
The souls who are rejoiced with the glad tidings of God, attracted to the fragrances of holiness, severed from aught else save God, who are commemorating the name of God are withdrawn from the world of darkness their thought permeated through and through with spiritual vibrations and their messages consisting of divine advices and exhortations; such souls are the manifestors of God's mercy, the educators of nations and the vivifiers of the world of humanity. They are guardian angels, the cause of human progress and the spiritual guides of the wandering children of men. Glory be unto them!
(Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, July 25, 1914.)
If a person reads the Hidden Words, The Ishrakat, Tajallayat, The Glad Tidings, The Words of Wisdom and The Tarazat and lives in accord with one of these divine advices he shall reach to the station of perfection, he will become the center of merciful susceptibilties, the dawning-place of human virtues and the rays of the kingdom will become manifest from his face and character.
O ye friends of God! These advices and exhortations of the Blessed Perfection are revealed from the Supreme Pen in order to be considered as guides for actions and not to be read only. There are many people who read these tablets, praise their contents—but they do not live according to one of these words.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from tablet to the Boston Assembly of Bahais; translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, July 13, 1914.)
Trustworthiness is the most brilliant jewel in the diadem which crowns man's heavenly attributes.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, December 9, 1912.)
The best capital and the most profitable business is honesty in all things. Do thou continue to be honest in thy dealings for one month. Thou wilt see in the end that thou art honored and respected by all thy customers, and not considering thy spiritual welfare, thy material prosperity will be secured.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, October 17, 1914.)
Question: "Does the Bahai prohibition of gambling and lotteries forbid games of every description?"
Abdul-Baha answered: "No, some games are innocent, and if pursued for pastime there is no harm. But there is danger that pastime may degenerate into waste of time. Waste of time is not acceptable
in the Cause of God. But recreation which may improve the bodily powers, as exercise, is desirable."
(Words of Abdul-Baha: A Heavenly Vista; p. 9.)
Endeavor and make an effort that certain souls may be trained, of whom his holiness Christ said: "Ye shall know the tree by its fruits." That is to say, every soul is known by (his) conduct, manners, words and deeds. Therefore, we must strive with life and heart that, day by day, our deeds may be better, our conduct more beautiful and our forbearance greater. That is, to cultivate love for all the world, to attain beatific character.
(Tablets of Abdul-Baha; Vol. 2; p. 306.)
Ask thou of God that thou mayest attain to the age of maturity so that thou mayest recognize the beauty and ugliness of deeds and actions.
(Words of Baha'o'llah; from tablet to the Sultan of Turkey.)
God has endowed man with intelligence so that he may use his intelligence. Therefore he must supply himself with all that science can offer. He must be most deliberate and most careful. He must ever be thorough in his undertakings. He must build a thing well. Build the best ship that his ingenuity can lead him to and employ the most skilled captain, but with all that, let him rely upon God. Let him consider God as the one keeper.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; Star of the West; Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 16.)
Let the light of truth and honesty shine in your faces so that all may know that your word in business or pleasure may be a word to trust and be sure of. Forget self and work for the whole. Abdul-Baha said that one must always remember that one is working for the world, not for a town or even a country, but as all are brothers so every country is as it were one's own. Above all, remember the teaching of Baha'o'llah about gossiping and talking about others. Stories repeated about others are never good, a silent tongue is always safest.
(Message taken verbally (from memory) from Abdul-Baha to the London friends, by Mrs. Enthoven in Paris, October, 1911.)
Chastity and purity of life are the two divine standards of the spiritual and moral law. The greater the aim of man the nobler his purpose. A man must ever be thoughtful of others and be polite and courteous toward his fellow-beings. This will win for him the good pleasure of the Lord and the satisfaction of the general public. One's sitting and rising, speech and conversation, social intercourse and communication should be based upon a firm foundation and be conducive to the glory of the world of humanity.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, September 4, 1913.)
Moderation is necessary in all affairs. Man must take a lesson from divine actions and deeds for God suffers a tree to grow a long time before it attains to perfection. He is able to make a tree grow to fruition in an instant, but wisdom requires a gradual development.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; from tablet to an American believer; translated by Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, May 18, 1914.)
The first Taraz* and the first Tajalli✝ is that man should know his own self and know those things which lead to loftiness or to baseness, to shame or to honor, to affluence or to poverty. After man has realized his own being and become mature then for him wealth (or competence) is needed. If this wealth is acquired through a craft and profession it is approvable and worthy of praise to men of wisdom especially to those servants (i. e., men) who arise to train the world and beautify the souls of nations.
(Words of Baha'o'llah; Tablet of Tarazat; p. 5)
Be not grieved or sorrowful that no great wealth or property has been bestowed upon you. Look at the birds! The first thing in the morning they are thirsty and hungry. They go to the spring and a few drops quench their thirst; then they pick up a few seeds and are perfectly satisfied and sit upon the branches and sing the praises of God. I hope you, too, will be satisfied.
Christ says that we are like the birds. The birds have habits; one is that they are satisfied with a few grains. They have neither property nor possessions, and they are most of the time on the branches of the trees singing their beautiful melodies. Now you should be satisfied with a few worldly things and spend most of the time in spreading the truths of the Word of God.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; Flowers From the Rose-Garden of Acca; p. 29.)
*Taraz, literally means ornament or an ornamented mantel. As a robe is adorned by ornaments, so likewise man is adorned by practicing these Words of Baha'o'llah.
✝Tajalli literally means splendor or light. As light illumines the body of the world, so likewise the inner heart of man is illumined with these Words and Commands of Baha'o'llah.
The length and shortness of life is not considered important. Whether man lives a few years or a hundred years, the purpose of his life is to achieve some definite results. If the tree of his life does not yield those luscious fruits, the purpose of his existence has not been accomplished even if he has lived many, many years. But if he has lived only a few years and the tree of his life has attained to fruition, he has obtained spiritual success. Consequently the duration of life is a conditional matter subject to the will of God. For example, this stone has existed 10,000 or 20,000 or 30,000 years but it has not advanced beyond the mineral kingdom. It has not achieved its final result. Again a merchant goes to his office every day in the year; he plans commercial enterprises, undertakes vast schemes, organizes large companies but at the end of the year he has not gained any profit. On the other hand another merchant through one stroke of good luck gains large profits in one day. Now the former merchant, although he worked harder all through the year, did not achieve any success, while the latter although he worked only one day yet the outcome of his activity was prosperous.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza, Ahmad Sohrab, October 11, 1914.)
His highness Christ, has addressed the world, saying: "Be like unto children." That is, men must become pure in heart. The hearts of children are of the utmost purity. They contain dust. But this is on account of weakness, not on account of strength. In the early period of childhood the hearts are pure; they have no hypocrisy nor stratagem and they cannot display any great intelligence.
But man becomes pure through the power of strength, through the power of intelligence and understanding. He becomes simple through the great power
of reason. He becomes sincere through the power of intelligence not through the power of weakness. When man attains to the great state of perfection his heart becomes pure, his spirit becomes enlightened, his soul becomes tender and receives these qualities through great strength. This is the difference between the perfect man and the child. Both have the great, simple, underlying qualities. But the child through the power of weakness and the man through the power of strength.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; Star of the West, Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 19.)
Strive day and night and do whatever is possible that perchance you may wake the heedless, give sight to the blind, bring life to the dead, refresh the weary and bring those in despair and darkness to light and splendor. If the hope of man be limited to the material world what ultimate result is he working for? A man with even a little understanding must realize that he should live differently from the worms who hold to the earth in which they are finally buried. How can he be satisfied with this low degree? How can he find happiness there? My hope is that you may become freed from the material world and strive to understand the meaning of the heavenly world, the world of lasting qualities, the world of truth, the world of eternal kingliness so that your life may not be barren of result, for the life of the material man has no fruit of reality. But lasting results are produced by the heavenly existence.
If a man becomes touched with the divine spark, even though he be an outcast and oppressed, he will be happy, and his happiness cannot die.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; Divine Philosophy; p. 20.)
What must be the result of a human life? It is evident that the goal is not to eat, sleep, dress and repose on the couch of negligence. No, it is to find one's way to reality and understand the divine signs; to receive wisdom from the Lord of Lords and to move steadily forward like a great sea.
(Words of Abdul-Baha; Divine Philosophy; p. 25.)
The religion of God reforms the moral side of the life of mankind. It is the spreader of the virtues of the world of humanity. It is the founder of divine perfections in the hearts of men. It is nearness to God. It is the cause of attraction and enkindlement with the fire of the love of God. It is conducive to the illumination of human consciousness. . . . All the prophets are sent by God for the guidance of the people, for the enlightenment of the minds of the inhabitants of the earth and for the promotion of the Word of Truth.
(Words of Abdul-Baha, from the Diary of Mirza Ahmad Sohrab, March 12, 1914.)
To an artist, Abdul-Baha said:
"Can you paint upon the page of the world the ideal pictures of the Supreme Concourse? The pictures which are in the ideal world are eternal. I desire you to become such an artist. Man can paint those ideal pictures upon the tablet of existence with the brush of deeds.
"The holy, divine Manifestations are all heavenly artists. Upon the canvas of creation, with the brush of their deeds and lives and actions they paint immortal pictures which cannot be found in any art museum of Europe or America. But you find the masterpieces of these spiritual artists in the hearts."
(Words of Abdul-Baha; Star of the West, Vol. 5, No. 10, p. 149.)
