The soul is a link between the body and the spirit. It
receives bounties and virtues from the spirit and gives them to the body just
as the outward senses carry to the inward senses what they receive from the
outer world in order that it may remain deposited in the memory and may be made
serviceable by man through his power. 
[One of the friends asked ‘Abdu’l-Baha about the leaders and
Hands of the Cause in this Dispensation.]
Regarding the questions you asked: self has really two
meanings, or is used in two senses, in the Bahá'í writings; one is self, the
identity of the individual created by God. This is the self mentioned in such
passages as "he hath known God who hath known himself", etc. The
other self is the ego, the dark, animalistic heritage each one of us has, the
lower nature that can develop into a monster of selfishness, brutality, lust
and so on. It is this self we must struggle against, or this side of our
natures, in order to strengthen and free the spirit within us and help it to
attain perfection.
An American passenger aboard the ship asked ‘Abdu’l-Baha
about reincarnation.
Beginning with the successful youth conferences held last
year, your community, like many others, has demonstrated an ability to reach
out to young people, Bahá’ís and others, raising their vision and stimulating
their desire to contribute to the betterment of society, particularly by
attending to the needs of those younger than themselves.
Regarding the question you raised: in the first place every
believer is free to follow the dictates of his own conscience as regards the
manner in which he should spend his own money. Secondly, we must always bear in
mind that there are so few Bahá'ís in the world, relative to the world's
population, and so many people in need, that even if all of us gave all we had,
it would not alleviate more than an infinitesimal amount of suffering. This
does not mean we must not help the needy, we should; but our contributions to
the Faith are the surest way of lifting once and for all time the burden of
hunger and misery from mankind, for it is only through the System of
Bahá'u'lláh — Divine in origin — that the world can be gotten on its feet and
want, fear, hunger, war, etc., be eliminated. Non-Bahá'ís cannot contribute to
our work or do it for us; so really our first obligation is to support our own
teaching work, as this will lead to the healing of the nations.
…self-love. This is a strange trait and means of the
destruction of many important souls in the world. If man be imbued with all
good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues will fade or pass away and
eventually he will grow worse.
…the Dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh -- … -- a Dispensation
which, as the Author of the Faith has Himself categorically asserted, must
extend over a period of no less than one thousand years, and which will
constitute the first stage in a series of Dispensations, to be established by
future Manifestations, all deriving their inspiration from the Author of the
Bahá'í Revelation, and destined to last, in their aggregate, no less than five
thousand centuries.
O thou lady of the Kingdom! Praise thou God that in this
age, the age of the dispensation of Bahá'u'lláh, thou hast been awakened, hast
been made aware of the Manifestation of the Lord of Hosts. All the people of
the world are buried in the graves of nature, or are slumbering, heedless and
unaware. Just as Christ saith: 'I may come when you are not aware. The coming
of the Son of Man is like the coming of a thief into a house, the owner of
which is utterly unaware.'
All glory be to this Day, the Day in which the fragrances of
mercy have been wafted over all created things, a Day so blest that past ages
and centuries can never hope to rival it…
The arrival of Bahá’u’lláh in the Najíbíyyih Garden,
subsequently designated by His followers the Garden of Ridván, signalizes the
commencement of what has come to be recognized as the holiest and most
significant of all Bahá’í festivals, the festival commemorating the Declaration
of His Mission to His companions. So momentous a Declaration may well be
regarded both as the logical consummation of that revolutionizing process which
was initiated by Himself upon His return from Sulaymáníyyih, and as a prelude
to the final proclamation of that same Mission to the world and its rulers from
Adrianople.
To Him [Baha’u’llah] Jesus Christ had referred as the
"Prince of this world," as the "Comforter" Who will
"reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment," as
the "Spirit of Truth" Who "will guide you into all truth,"
Who "shall not speak of Himself, but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall
He speak," as the "Lord of the Vineyard," and as the "Son
of Man" Who "shall come in the glory of His Father" "in the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory," with "all the holy
angels" about Him, and "all nations" gathered before His throne.
To Him the Author of the Apocalypse had alluded as the "Glory of
God," as "Alpha and Omega," "the Beginning and the
End," "the First and the Last."
The Báb had no less significantly extolled Him [Baha’u’llah]
as the “Essence of Being,” as the “Remnant of God,” as the “Omnipotent Master,”
as the “Crimson, all-encompassing Light,” as “Lord of the visible and
invisible,” as the “sole Object of all previous Revelations, including The
Revelation of the Qá’im Himself.” He had formally designated Him as “He Whom
God shall make manifest,” had alluded to Him as the “Abhá Horizon” wherein He
Himself lived and dwelt, had specifically recorded His title, and eulogized His
“Order” in His best-known work, the Persian Bayán, had disclosed His name
through His allusion to the “Son of ‘Alí, a true and undoubted Leader of men,”…
The first teaching of Baha’u’llah is the investigation of
Reality. Man must investigate Reality himself, forsaking imitation. As the
nations of the world are pursuing certain imitations and imitations are
various, the differences have been productive of strife and warfare. So long as
these imitations remain, the oneness of the world of humanity is impossible.
Therefore, we must investigate the Reality in order that through Its Light this
darkness may be dispelled. For Reality is One Reality. It does not accept
multiplicity or division. If all the nations of the world investigate Reality,
they will agree and become united.
In all cases submitted for its consideration the Assembly
must uphold the standard of justice in delivering its verdict, and in all its
dealings with the community and the outside world, it must strive to evince the qualities of leadership. The following quotation from a letter of the Guardian
summarizes in simple terms the immediate goal every Assembly should set for
itself in its efforts to pursue the exalted standard of perfection inculcated
in our writings:
As for youth, every effort should be made to have them
complete the basic sequence of courses to assist them to move to the forefront
of the work in the clusters.”
If a soul calls the people to the Kingdom of God according
to the Teachings of Baha’u’llah, there will be many listeners.
The everlasting glory of the friends, and the heavenly
sublimity of the believers, is to teach the Cause of God, to spread the
Fragrances of God, and to promote the Word of God!
… consultation must have for its object the investigation of
truth. He who expresses an opinion should not voice it as correct and right but
set it forth as a contribution to the consensus of opinion…
The thing the world needs today is the Bahá'í spirit. People
are craving for love, for a high standard to look up to, as well as for
solutions to their many grave problems. The Bahá'ís should shower on those whom
they meet the warm and living spirit of the Cause, and this, combined with
teaching, cannot but attract the sincere truth-seekers to the Faith.
We can never exert the influence over others which we can
exert over ourselves. If we are better, if we show love, patience, and
understanding of the weaknesses of others; if we seek to never criticize but
rather encourage, others will do likewise, and we can really help the Cause
through our example and spiritual strength.
... the elector ... is called upon to vote for none but
those whom prayer and reflection have inspired him to uphold ...
The teacher, when teaching, must be himself fully enkindled,
so that his utterance, like unto a flame of fire, may exert influence and
consume the veil of self and passion. He must also be utterly humble and lowly
so that others may be edified, and be totally self-effaced and evanescent so
that he may teach with the melody of the Concourse on high -- otherwise his
teaching will have no effect.
The basic principle that should always be remembered is that
the N.S.A. cannot be required to reveal to any outsider all the details
concerning its work. It may choose to do so if it wishes, but nobody has the
right to enforce upon it any such action: This is, of course the purely legal
side of the question. But a purely legalistic attitude in matters affecting the
Cause, particularly now that the Faith is still in a state of infancy, is not
only inadequate but fraught with unforeseen dangers and difficulties. The
individuals and assemblies must learn to cooperate and to cooperate
intelligently, if they desire to adequately discharge their duties and
obligations towards the Faith. And no such cooperation is possible without
mutual confidence and trust.
O Son of Man! For everything there is a sign. The sign of
love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.
In the Persian Bayan, the Báb stated: "Well is it with him
who fixeth his gaze upon the Order of Bahá'u'lláh, and rendereth thanks unto
his Lord. For He will assuredly be made manifest. God hath indeed irrevocably
ordained it in the Bayan." Shoghi Effendi identifies this
"Order" with the System Bahá'u'lláh envisages in the Aqdas, in which
He testifies to its revolutionizing effect on the life of humanity and reveals
the laws and principles which govern its operation. The features of the
"new World Order" are delineated in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and
'Abdu'l-Bahá and in the letters of Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of
Justice.
…a woman, the only
one of her sex, who, unlike her fellow-disciples, never attained the presence
of the Báb, was invested with the rank of apostleship in the new Dispensation.
A poetess, less than thirty years of age, of distinguished birth, of bewitching
charm, of captivating eloquence, indomitable in spirit, unorthodox in her
views, audacious in her acts, immortalized as Tahirih (the Pure One) by the
"Tongue of Glory," and surnamed Qurratu'l-'Ayn (Solace of the Eyes)
by Siyyid Kazim, her teacher, she had, in consequence of the appearance of the
Báb to her in a dream, received the first intimation of a Cause which was
destined to exalt her to the fairest heights of fame, and on which she, through
her bold heroism, was to shed such imperishable luster.
Quddus, immortalized by Him [the Bab] as Ismu'llahi'l-Akhir
(the Last Name of God); on whom Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet of Kullu't-Ta'am [Tablet of All Food] later
conferred the sublime appellation of Nuqtiy-i-Ukhra (the Last Point); whom He
elevated, in another Tablet, to a rank second to none except that of the Herald
of His Revelation; whom He identifies, in still another Tablet, with one of the
‘Messengers charged with imposture’ mentioned in the Qur'án; whom the Persian
Bayan extolled as that fellow-pilgrim round whom mirrors to the number of eight
Vahids revolve; on whose ‘detachment and the sincerity of whose devotion to
God's will God prideth Himself amidst the Concourse on high;’ whom 'Abdu'l-Bahá
designated as the ‘Moon of Guidance;’ and whose appearance the Revelation of
St. John the Divine anticipated as one of the two ‘Witnesses’ into whom, ere
the ‘second woe is past,’ the ‘spirit of life from God’ must enter.
After the Departure of the Blessed Perfection and till the
Appearance of the next Manifestation there is no other station save the Station
of Servitude, pure and absolute. Not a servitude liable to interpretation; but
an unconditional and unqualified servitude. This is the real fact. Whosoever
expresses any other interpretation, I will not be pleased with him. This is my
advice to you. This is my counsel to you. This is my desire. This is my good
pleasure. This is my last request from all the believers of God! The balsam to
my wound is servitude at the Holy Threshold. My Sadratu’l-Muntaha is servitude
at the Holy Threshold! My highest destination is servitude at the Holy
Threshold! My Supreme Paradise is servitude at the Holy Threshold! My Spiritual
Temple is servitude at the Holy Threshold! The Most Shining Crown is servitude
at the Holy Threshold! What diadem is more glorious than Servitude at the Holy
Threshold?