The first word which the Abhá Pen hath revealed and
inscribed on the first leaf of Paradise is this: “Verily I say: The fear of God
hath ever been a sure defence and a safe stronghold for all the peoples of the
world. It is the chief cause of the protection of mankind, and the supreme
instrument for its preservation. Indeed, there existeth in man a faculty which
deterreth him from, and guardeth him against, whatever is unworthy and
unseemly, and which is known as his sense of shame. This, however, is confined
to but a few; all have not possessed, and do not possess, it. It is incumbent
upon the kings and the spiritual leaders of the world to lay fast hold on
religion, inasmuch as through it the fear of God is instilled in all else but
Him.”
(Baha’u’llah, ‘Epistle to the Son of Wolf’)
