Marriage, among the mass of the people, is a physical bond,
and this union can only be temporary, since it is foredoomed to a physical
separation at the close. Among the people of Bahá, however, marriage must be a
union of the body and of the spirit as well, for here both husband and wife are
aglow with the same wine, both are enamoured of the same matchless Face, both
live and move through the same spirit, both are illumined by the same glory.
This connection between them is a spiritual one, hence it is a bond that will
abide forever. Likewise do they enjoy strong and lasting ties in the physical
world as well, for if the marriage is based both on the spirit and the body,
that union is a true one, hence it will endure. If, however, the bond is
physical and nothing more, it is sure to be only temporary, and must inexorably
end in separation.
When, therefore, the people of Bahá undertake to marry, the
union must be a true relationship, a spiritual coming together as well as a
physical one, so that throughout every phase of life, and in all the worlds of
God, their union will endure; for this real oneness is a gleaming out of the
love of God.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (’Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Baha’; The
Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, Family Life)
