FREE WILL
Question.–Is man a free agent in all his actions, or is he compelled and constrained?
Answer.–This question is one of the most important and abstruse of divine problems. If God wills, another day, at the beginning of dinner, we will undertake the explanation of this subject in detail; now we will explain it briefly, in a few words, as follows. Some things are subject to the free will of man, such as justice, equity, tyranny and injustice, in other words, good and evil actions; it is evident and clear that these actions are, for the most part, left to the will of man. But there are certain things to which man is forced and compelled, such as sleep, death, sickness, decline of power, injuries and misfortunes; these are not subject to the will of man, and he is not responsible for them, for he is compelled to endure them. But in the choice of good and bad actions he is free, and he commits them according to his own will.
For example, if he wishes, he can pass his time in praising God, or he can be occupied with other thoughts. He can be an enkindled light through the fire of the love of God, and a philanthropist loving the world, or he can be a hater of mankind, and engrossed with material things. He can be just or cruel. These actions and these deeds are subject to the control of the will of man himself; consequently, he is responsible for them.
Now another question arises. Man is absolutely helpless and dependent, since might and power belong especially to God. Both exaltation and humiliation depend upon the good pleasure and the will of the Most High.
It is said in the New Testament that God is like a potter who makes “one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour.” [Rom. 9:21.] Now the dishonored vessel has no right to find fault with the potter saying, “Why did you not make me a precious cup, which is passed from hand to hand?” The meaning of this verse is that the states of beings are different. That which is in the lowest state of existence, like the mineral, has no right to complain, saying, “O God, why have You not given me the vegetable perfections?” In the same way, the plant has no right to complain that it has been deprived of the perfections of the animal world. Also it is not befitting for the animal to complain of the want of the human perfections. No, all these things are perfect in their own degree, and they must strive after the perfections of their own degree. The inferior beings, as we have said, have neither the right to, nor the fitness for, the states of the superior perfections. No, their progress must be in their own state.
Also the inaction or the movement of man depend upon the assistance of God. If he is not aided, he is not able to do either good or evil. But when the help of existence comes from the Generous Lord, he is able to do both good and evil; but if the help is cut off, he remains absolutely helpless. This is why in the Holy Books they speak of the help and assistance of God. So this condition is like that of a ship which is moved by the power of the wind or steam; if this power ceases, the ship cannot move at all. Nevertheless, the rudder of the ship turns it to either side, and the power of the steam moves it in the desired direction. If it is directed to the east, it goes to the east; or if it is directed to the west, it goes to the west. This motion does not come from the ship; no, it comes from the wind or the steam.
In the same way, in all the action or inaction of man, he receives power from the help of God; but the choice of good or evil belongs to the man himself. So if a king should appoint someone to be the governor of a city, and should grant him the power of authority, and should show him the paths of justice and injustice according to the laws–if then this governor should commit injustice, although he should act by the authority and power of the king, the latter would be absolved from injustice. But if he should act with justice, he would do it also through the authority of the king, who would be pleased and satisfied.
That is to say, though the choice of good and evil belongs to man, under all circumstances he is dependent upon the sustaining help of life, which comes from the Omnipotent. The Kingdom of God is very great, and all are captives in the grasp of His Power. The servant cannot do anything by his own will; God is powerful, omnipotent, and the Helper of all beings.
This question has become clearly explained. Salutations!
Abdu’l-Baha’, Some Answered Questions, Part Four: On the Origin, Powers and Conditions of Man
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THE ORIGINAL PRESERVED TEXT IN ENGLISH
Some Answered Questions
The original preserved text of Some Answered Questions (SAQ) is now available in hard copy format.
This book gives the answers of a great World Teacher to numerous questions which deeply trouble modern man in this post-modern Age of Transition. First published in London in 1908, Some Answered Questions is as timely now as it was then; the need for it has grown more acute with the years. The many questions which it considers remain either unanswered or misunderstood in the minds of the mass of humanity.
What is man? Is there a God? How can we know God? What of the Reality of the Unseen? Miracles, prophecy, predestination, immortality, free will, reincarnation, baptism, the Trinity, healing? Here, too, are commentaries on and explanations of Biblical passages and the metaphysical underpinnings of scientific worldviews suited to our age of increasing maturity.
Some Answered Questions is intended for the searcher with an open and independent mind. The answers are unorthodox. Religion and Spirituality, stripped of ritualism and tradition, become reasonable and alive. If the search for truth is coupled with a dream of justice for all and a world at peace, if the student is willing to receive an idea by which he or she may live meaningfully both for true-self and for others, then here you will find an authentic challenge to match that dream.
This is the original 1908 translation that preserves the prophecy of the coming of the “7th Angel” made by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in this volume (p. 66) in 1908 and approved by Him. Contrary to the Covenant-breakers assertions, Some Answered Questions is NOT “pilgrim’s notes”–but forms a collection of talks in the authenticity of the written Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha approved and corrected by Him (with His own hand during His lifetime) in the potency of genuine Baha’i Holy Writ:
“Baha’u’llah has made it clear enough that only those things that have been revealed in the form of Tablets have a binding power over the friends… Those talks of the Master that were later reviewed by Him, corrected or in some other form considered authentic by Himself, such as Some Answered Questions, are considered as Tablets and therefore have the necessary binding power” (Shoghi Effendi, to the United States Publishing Committee, December 29, 1931).
This original re-print edition of Some Answered Questions combats the various changed false-text corrupted “editions” of the Covenant-breakers and contains a unique preface written by Dr. Leland Jensen and updated for current times along with a New Appendix including the Tablet of the Dichotomy and ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s the Tablet of Wood, Iron and Gold. The perfect teaching text (and required reading: the first 90 pages) for the full experience of the Baha’i Fireside series.