...there are those famed and accomplished men of learning,
possessed of praiseworthy qualities and vast erudition, who lay hold on the
strong handle of the fear of God and keep to the ways of salvation. In the
mirror of their minds the forms of transcendent realities are reflected, and
the lamp of their inner vision derives its light from the sun of universal
knowledge. They are busy by night and by day with meticulous research into such
sciences as are profitable to mankind, and they devote themselves to the
training of students of capacity. It is certain that to their discerning taste,
the proffered treasures of kings would not compare with a single drop of the
waters of knowledge, and mountains of gold and silver could not outweigh the
successful solution of a difficult problem. To them, the delights that lie
outside their work are only toys for children, and the cumbersome load of
unnecessary possessions is only good for the ignorant and base. Content, like
the birds, they give thanks for a handful of seeds, and the song of their
wisdom dazzles the minds of the world's most wise....
(‘Abdu’l-Baha, ‘The
Secret of Divine Civilization’; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III,
Scholarship)
