O spiritual youth! Praise thou God that thou hast found thy
way into the Kingdom of Splendours, and hast rent asunder the veil of vain imaginings,
and that the core of the inner mystery hath been made known unto thee.
Man—the true man—is soul, not body; though physically man
belongs to the animal kingdom, yet his soul lifts him above the rest of
creation. Behold how the light of the sun illuminates the world of matter: even
so doth the Divine Light shed its rays in the kingdom of the soul. The soul it
is which makes the human creature a celestial entity!
Courtesy, reverence, dignity, respect for the rank and
achievements of others are virtues which contribute to the harmony and
well-being of every community, but pride and self-aggrandisement are among the
most deadly of sins.
It was in the course of these epoch-making journeys and
before large and representative audiences, at times exceeding a thousand
people, that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá expounded, with brilliant simplicity, with
persuasiveness and force, and for the first time in His ministry, those basic
and distinguishing principles of His Father’s Faith, which together with the
laws and ordinances revealed in the Kitáb-i-Aqdas constitute the bed-rock of
God’s latest Revelation to mankind. The independent search after truth,
unfettered by superstition or tradition; the oneness of the entire human race,
the pivotal principle and fundamental doctrine of the Faith; the basic unity of
all religions; the condemnation of all forms of prejudice, whether religious,
racial, class or national; the harmony which must exist between religion and
science; the equality of men and women, the two wings on which the bird of
human kind is able to soar; the introduction of compulsory education; the
adoption of a universal auxiliary language; the abolition of the extremes of
wealth and poverty; the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of
disputes between nations; the exaltation of work, performed in the spirit of
service, to the rank of worship; the glorification of justice as the ruling
principle in human society, and of religion as a bulwark for the protection of
all peoples and nations; and the establishment of a permanent and universal
peace as the supreme goal of all mankind…
Know thou the value of these days; let not this chance
escape thee. Beg thou God to make thee a lighted candle, so that thou mayest
guide a great multitude through this darksome world.
The prime requisites for them that take counsel together are
purity of motive, radiance of spirit, detachment from all else save God,
attraction to His Divine Fragrances, humility and lowliness amongst His loved
ones, patience and long-suffering in difficulties and servitude to His exalted
Threshold. Should they be graciously aided to acquire these attributes, victory
from the unseen Kingdom of Bahá shall be vouchsafed to them....
One of the distinctive features of the Bahá’í Administrative
Order, which stands in striking contrast to the administrative systems
associated with past Dispensations, is the responsibility it places upon the
individual believer to participate in its activities. In contrast to the
members of congregations of many other religions whose role is principally that
of being the recipients of instruction and advice from their ecclesiastical
leaders, the followers of Bahá’u’lláh are called upon, in their relationships
within the community, to engage in consultation, to follow closely the affairs
of the Faith in their region, to offer their views and recommendations on all
matters which pertain to the interests of the Faith and its community, and to
elect the Spiritual Assemblies and cooperate wholeheartedly with them. This
active involvement by every Bahá’í in the life of the community provides it
with access to each individual's insight and wisdom and is a source of great
strength to the organic unit.
Surely, the believers, no matter how qualified they may be,
whether as teachers or administrators, and however high their intellectual and
spiritual merits, should never be looked upon as the standard whereby to
evaluate and measure the divine authority and mission of the Faith. It is to
the Teachings themselves, and to the lives of the Founders of the Cause that
the believers should look for their guidance and inspiration, and only by
keeping strictly to such a true attitude can they hope to establish their
loyalty to Bahá'u'lláh upon an enduring and unassailable basis.
Full harmony… as well as co-operation among the various
local assemblies and the members themselves, and particularly between each
assembly and the national body, is of the utmost importance, for upon it
depends the unity of the Cause of God, the solidarity of the friends, the full,
speedy and efficient working of the spiritual activities of His loved ones.
We must also remember that sex is a characteristic of this
world, not of the spiritual world. When the Guardian was asked about "soul
mates" and the problem that could arise in the next world if one were to
remarry in this life, his secretary replied on his behalf, on 4 December 1954:
The all-conquering Spirit of Bahá’u’lláh cannot prove
effective in this world of strife and turmoil, and cannot achieve its purpose
for mankind, unless we, who are named after His Name, and who are the
recipients of His Grace, endeavour, by our example, our daily life and our
dealings with our fellow-men, to reveal that noble spirit of love and
self-sacrifice of which the world stands in need at present.
From inside prison walls He [Baha'u'llah] 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.
… a steady flow of reinforcements … will presage and hasten
the advent of the day which, as prophesied by `Abdu'l-Bahá, will witness the
entry by troops of peoples of divers nations and races into the Bahá'í world --
a day which, viewed in its proper perspective, will be the prelude to that long
awaited hour when a mass conversion on the part of these same nations and
races, and as a direct result of a chain of events, momentous and possibly
catastrophic in nature ..., will suddenly revolutionize the fortunes of the
Faith, derange the equilibrium of the world, and reinforce a thousandfold the
numerical strength as well as the material power and the spiritual authority of
the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh.
For every era hath a spirit; the spirit of this illumined
era lieth in the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. For these lay the foundation of the
oneness of the world of humanity and promulgate universal brotherhood. They are
founded upon the unity of science and religion and upon investigation of truth.
They uphold the principle that religion must be the cause of amity, union and
harmony among men. They establish the equality of both sexes and propound economic
principles which are for the happiness of individuals. They diffuse universal
education, that every soul may as much as possible have a share of knowledge.
They abrogate and nullify religious, racial, political, patriotic and economic
prejudices and the like. Those teachings that are scattered throughout the
Epistles and Tablets are the cause of the illumination and the life of the
world of humanity.
For man two wings are necessary. One wing is physical power
and material civilisation; the other is spiritual power and divine
civilisation. With one wing only, flight is impossible. Two wings are
essential. Therefore, no matter how much material civilisation advances, it
cannot attain to perfection except through the uplift of spiritual
civilisation.
It is a vital and urgent duty of the Assemblies, both
National and Local, not only to apply the Laws of Bahá'u'lláh with justice and
firmness, but to increase the believers' understanding of and devotion to these
Laws. In this way they will obey them not through fear of punishment but out of
love for Bahá'u'lláh and because their whole lives have been transformed and
re-oriented in the Way of God.
The believers ought to give the Message even to those who do
not seem to be ready for it, because they can never judge the real extent to
which the Word of God can influence the hearts and minds of the people, even
those who appear to lack any power of receptivity to the Teachings.
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 anyone. Be ye the trustees of God amongst His creatures, and
the emblems of His generosity amidst His people.
This National Spiritual Assembly, which pending the
establishment of the Universal House of Justice will have to be re-elected once
a year, obviously assumes grave responsibilities, for it has to exercise full
authority over all the local Assemblies in its province, and will have to
direct the activities of the friends, guard vigilantly the Cause of God, and
control and supervise the affairs of the Movement in general.
Thou hast written regarding Buddha and Confucius. Buddha was
an illustrious personage. Confucius became the cause of civilization,
advancement and prosperity for the people of China… Buddha and Confucius were
kings in bygone ages who have disappeared. Their sovereignty in this world is
ended and their cycle is completed. Now the Throne of the Kingdom of Abha is
established and the Blessed Perfection is sitting upon the Throne of Grandeur.
We must raise this Call, promulgate the Word of God and live in accord with the
teachings and advices of the Beauty of Abha.
O ye friends of God! Show ye an endeavor that all the
nations and communities of the world, even the enemies, put their trust,
assurance and hope in you; that if a person falls into errors for a
hundred-thousand times he may yet turn his face to you, hopeful that you will
forgive his sins; for he must not become hopeless, neither grieved nor
despondent. This is the conduct and the manner of the people of Bahá. This is
the foundation of the most high pathway! Ye should conform your conduct and
manners with the advices of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
The ones in real authority are known by their humility and
self-sacrifice and show no attitude of superiority over the friends. Some time
ago a tablet was written stating that none are appointed to any authority to do
anything but to serve the Cause as true servants of the friends - and for this
no tablet is necessary; such service when true and unselfish, requires no
announcement, nor following, nor written document. Let the servant be known by
his deeds, by his life! To be approved of God alone should be one's aim.
For every thing, however, God has created a sign and symbol,
and established standards and tests by which it may be known. The spiritually
learned must be characterized by both inward and outward perfections; they must
possess a good character, an enlightened nature, a pure intent, as well as
intellectual power, brilliance and discernment, intuition, discretion and
foresight, temperance, reverence, and a heartfelt fear of God. For an unlit
candle, however great in diameter and tall, is no better than a barren palm
tree or a pile of dead wood.
From the beginning of existence until the Promised Day men
retained superiority over women in every respect. It is revealed in the Qur'án:
"Men have superiority over women." But in this wondrous Dispensation,
the supreme outpouring of the Glorious Lord became the cause of manifest
achievements by women. Some handmaidens arose who excelled men in the arena of
knowledge. They arose with such love and spirituality that they became the
cause of the outpouring of the bounty of the Sovereign Lord upon mankind, and
with their sanctity, purity and attributes of the spirit led a great many to
the shore of unity. They became a guiding torch to the wanderers in the wastes
of bewilderment, and enkindled the despondent in the nether world with the
flame of the love of the Lord. This is a bounteous characteristic of this
wondrous Age which hath granted strength to the weaker sex and hath bestowed
masculine might upon womanhood....
Regarding the use of liquor: According to the text of the
Book of Aqdas, both light and strong drinks are prohibited. The reason for this
prohibition is that alcohol leadeth the mind astray and causeth the weakening
of 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 existeth in creation. Now it hath been proved and is
established medically and scientifically that liquor is harmful.
…man can never hope to attain unto the knowledge of the
All-Glorious, can never quaff from the stream of divine knowledge and wisdom,
can never enter the abode of immortality, nor partake of the cup of divine
nearness and favour, unless and until he ceases to regard the words and deeds
of mortal men as a standard for the true understanding and recognition of God
and His Prophets.
...they that tread the path of faith, they that thirst for
the wine of certitude, must cleanse themselves of all that is earthly -- their
ears from idle talk, their minds from vain imaginings, their hearts from
worldly affections, their eyes from that which perisheth. They should put their
trust in God, and, holding fast unto Him, follow in His way. Then will they be
made worthy of the effulgent glories of the sun of divine knowledge and
understanding, and become the recipients of a grace that is infinite and
unseen…
To deepen in the Cause means to read the writings of
Bahá'u'lláh and the Master so thoroughly as to be able to give it to others in
its pure form. There are many who have some superficial idea of what the Cause
stands for. They, therefore, present it together with all sorts of ideas that
are their own. As the Cause is still in its early days we must be most careful
lest we fall under this error and injure the Movement we so much adore. There
is no limit to the study of the Cause. The more we read the writings the more
truths we can find in them and the more we will see that our previous notions
were erroneous. (Shoghi Effendi
O handmaid of God, peace must first be established among
individuals, until it leadeth in the end to peace among nations. Wherefore, O
ye Bahá'ís, strive ye with all your might to create, through the power of the
Word of God, genuine love, spiritual communion and durable bonds among
individuals. This is your task.
Rest thou assured that in this era of the spirit, the
Kingdom of Peace will raise up its tabernacle on the summits of the world, and
the commandments of the Prince of Peace will so dominate the arteries and
nerves of every people as to draw into His sheltering shade all the nations on
earth. From springs of love and truth and unity will the true Shepherd give His
sheep to drink.