Baha’i Justice

You are the children of whom Christ has said, “Of such is the kingdom of God”; and according to the words of Bahá’u’lláh you are the very lamps or candles of the world of humanity, for your hearts are exceedingly pure and your spirits most sensitive. You are near the source; you have not yet become contaminated. You are the lambs of the heavenly Shepherd. You are as polished mirrors reflecting pure light. My hope is that your parents may educate you spiritually and give you thorough moral training. May you develop so that each one of you shall become imbued with all the virtues of the human world. May you advance in all material and spiritual degrees. May you become learned in sciences, acquire the arts and crafts, prove to be useful members of human society and assist the progress of human civilization. May you be a cause of the manifestation of divine bestowals—each one of you a shining star radiating the light of the oneness of humanity toward the horizons of the East and West. May you be devoted to the love and unity of mankind, and through your efforts may the reality deposited in the human heart find its divine expression. I pray for you, asking the assistance and confirmation of God in your behalf.

You are all my children, my spiritual children. Spiritual children are dearer than physical children, for it is possible for physical children to turn away from the Spirit of God, but you are spiritual children and, therefore, you are most beloved. I wish for you progress in every degree of development. May God assist you. May you be surrounded by the beneficent light of His countenance, and may you attain maturity under His nurture and protection. You are all blessed.

I am going away, but you must arise to serve the Word of God. Your hearts must be pure and your intentions sincere in order that you may become recipients of the divine bestowals. Consider that although the sun shines equally upon all things, yet in the clear mirror its reflection is most brilliant and not in the black stone. This great effulgence and heat have been produced by the crystal clearness of the glass. If there were no clearness and purity, these effects would not be witnessed. Should rain fall upon salty, stony earth, it will never have effect; but when it falls upon good pure soil, green and verdant growth follows, and fruits are produced.

This is the day when pure hearts have a portion of the everlasting bounties and sanctified souls are being illumined by the eternal manifestations. Praise be to God! You are believers in God, assured by the words of God and turning to the Kingdom of God. You have heard the divine call. Your hearts are moved by the breezes of the paradise of Abhá. You have good intentions; your purpose is the good pleasure of God; you desire to serve in the Kingdom of the Merciful One. Therefore, arise in the utmost power. Be in perfect unity. Never become angry with one another. Let your eyes be directed toward the kingdom of truth and not toward the world of creation. Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for themselves. You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness. The imperfect eye beholds imperfections. The eye that covers faults looks toward the Creator of souls. He created them, trains and provides for them, endows them with capacity and life, sight and hearing; therefore, they are the signs of His grandeur. You must love and be kind to everybody, care for the poor, protect the weak, heal the sick, teach and educate the ignorant.

It is my hope that the unity and harmony of the friends in Chicago may be the cause of the unity of the friends throughout America and that all people may become recipients of their love and kindness. May they be an example for mankind. Then the confirmations of the Kingdom of Abhá and the bestowals of the Sun of Reality will be all-encircling.

Abdu’l-Baha,

5 May 1912
Talk at Children’s Meeting
Hotel Plaza
Chicago, Illinois

The Promulgation Of Universal Peace

We have counselled all people, in the most clear and eloquent language, to adorn their characters with trustworthiness and godliness, and with such qualities as are conducive to the elevation of man’s station in the world of being. This Wronged One testifieth that the purpose for which mortal men have, from utter nothingness, stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and harmony. Dissension and strife have always been, and shall remain, rejected by God. The Books, the Scriptures and Holy Writings of previous ages have all proclaimed the joyful tidings that the purpose underlying this most mighty Revelation is none other than the rehabilitation of the world and its nations; that perchance the power of utterance may prevail over the power of arms, and the world’s affairs be administered through the potency of love. We ask God, the True One, to invest all with the mantle of trustworthiness, for that is the world’s comeliest garment.

Baha’u’llah, cf. Compilation on Trustworthiness

O ye beloved of the Lord! In this sacred Dispensation, conflict and contention are in no wise permitted. EVERY AGGRESSOR DEPRIVES HIMSELF OF GOD’S GRACE.

Abdu’l-Baha’, The Crimson Book, pg. 13.

THE CRIMSON BOOK: BOOK OF THE COVENANT
The Sacred Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha (includes Kitab-i-Ahd within)
The Book of the Everlasting Covenant of God. The Twin Central and sacred Holy Books of the Baha’i Faith form One single “scroll written within” (Kitab-i-‘Ahd) and “on the back (the sacred Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha) sealed with seven seals” (Revelation 5:1 RSV). Here Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha continue God’s Covenant of the throne-line of King David (Psalm 89; Genesis 49:10) as the presidents, executive branch, and “irremovable member for life” of the genuine Universal House of Justice (www.UHJ.net) of Baha’u’llah that is to last for ever.

It includes the most current authoritative translations of the original texts; important footnotes for teaching; the retention of key Persian and Arabic terms; the legal Addendum concerning the inheritance of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son; authoritative comments of Shoghi Effendi; adornment with excepts of relevant Original texts in fine Persian calligraphy; Baha’u’llah’s instructions to the faithful for the fulfillment of the Promise of Jesus for the removal of sins; an important statement from the Supreme Pen on the hidden potentialities of “the Crimson Book;” and the original “Prayer of the Covenant” disseminated during the ministry of ‘Abdu’l-Baha.

In My Name, calling aloud in the Kingdom of Utterance

In this Day showers of wisdom and utterance are pouring down from the clouds of divine mercy. Well is it with them who judge His Cause with fairness, and woe betide the unjust.

Every man of insight will, in this day, readily admit that the counsels which the Pen of this Wronged One hath revealed constitute the supreme animating power for the advancement of the world and the exaltation of its peoples. Arise, O people, and, by the power of God’s might, resolve to gain the victory over your own selves, that haply the whole earth may be freed and sanctified from its servitude to the gods of its idle fancies—gods that have inflicted such loss upon, and are responsible for the misery of their wretched worshippers. These idols form the obstacle that impedeth man in his efforts to advance in the path of perfection. We cherish the hope that the Hand of divine power may lend its assistance to mankind and deliver it from its state of grievous abasement.

In one of the Tablets these words have been revealed: O people of God! Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. This can best be achieved through pure and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly behaviour. Valiant acts will ensure the triumph of this Cause, and a saintly character will reinforce its power. Cleave unto righteousness, O people of Bahá! This, verily, is the commandment which this Wronged One hath given unto you, and the first choice of His unrestrained Will for every one of you.

Baha’u’llah, extract from: LAWḤ-I-DUNYÁ (Tablet of the World)

Baha’u’llah’s lineage is from His father that of the Jewish Throne Line of King David and from His mother that of the Persian Sassanian Dynasty which ended with Yazdegird III.

These two lineages — one female and the other male — (of Zoroaster and of David) are preserved from ancient times until the present. In the Bible we read of the great King Ahasuerus who married Queen Esther whom Firdawsi in the Shahnameh relates to the mother of Darius the Great, his father the great King of Persia and his mother the Queen from the family of David. Thus on the Behistun Monument, carved in Stone, located on the ancient roadway from Baghdad to Teheran, Darius proclaims that from these two great families (David and Hakamanush of Zoroaster and Cyrus) God has always vouchsafed kingship, and that it is from these “two families” that he himself is descended, David on the female side and that of Cyrus of the Persian on the male side.

In the Tarikh-i-Ruyan, you can therefore read where these pure natured ancestors thus recount their lineage from the time of Adam until the present day. From Adam to Pharez the son of Judah the son of Jacob son of Isaac, son of Abraham they give their genealogy in the male line. Then of Manuschir down through Cyrus the Great and the Sassaniyan kings they give their lineage of the female line. Then from Baw, Gawbara, or Gil, they give their lineage again through the male line. Thus these ancestors always showed that they were Jews, from Judah, in the male line. Jew means descended from Judah. And these Kings of the Mountains always reckoned their descent from Judah.

All the various dynasties of the East from the Abbassid down to the Safavid had made their claims to Persia (Iran) by marrying into the female line of the Badustaniyan chiefs. Al-Mamun’s mother was of the clan of Dabuyid (Davidides) of the family of those of Baw/Gawbara (Bostanai) though not through the house of Shahriyar-Baduspan that inherited the throne, but through that of one of his brothers who did not inherit the throne. The Safvids likewise married into the house of Baduspan-Bawand through a daughter, and by this union of Ismael comes the great Abbas. All of these ones in the east that claimed rule, and took it by force, would thus claim the throne by right of marriage to a daughter of these great Ispahbuds. The throne of David however is a male line inheritance only. It passes on from father to son. No Queen ever sat upon the throne of David. Meanwhile, these Ispahbuds of Baduspan and Bawand would allow these others to rule empire by the will of God all along passing on both the throne of Persia and the throne of David as a father to son inheritance within their family.

From these two holy lineages, from these Twin Holy Trees, that of Ishmael and Isaac, that of Muhammad and that of David, would God Almighty conjoin with the seed of Cyrus, and in the end times “open before him the two leaved gates” in the Twin Holy Personages of the Qaim (The Bab) and the Qayyum (Baha’u’llah).

Now all peoples and scholars on this all important and weighty topic cannot fail to recognize that by the appearance of Qaim, the “One who will Arise” is meant the Appearance of the promised Imam from the lineage of Husayn and Shahr-banu. Likewise by Qayyum is meant “the everlasting” and is sometimes translated into English as the “self-subsisting one” referring to the everlasting Covenant that God promised to King David and to his offspring and to his lineage that his line will last for ever and his throne for all generations. (see 1 Sam. 7:13 and Psalms 89). Thus from these Twin Holy Genealogies are to come TWO PROMISED ONES from Persia, simultaneously, the Qaim of the House of Muhammad and Cyrus; and the Qayyum of the House of David and Cyrus; both cousins and brothers through the twin double wedding of the daughters of Yazdigird III.

Anyone so inclined to read the book of Nabil’s Narrative, would see mightily and glaring upon those pages, the fact that both Shaykh Ahmad and Siyyid Kazim anticipated the twin appearances of the Qaim in the person of the 12th Imam returned from the lineage of the Imams; and the Qayyum in the person of the second coming of Christ to return from the lineage of David from the house of Badustan-Bawand. Thus Shaykh Ahmad while in Teheran inquired into the family of Mirza Buzurg the Vizier about his beloved son Husayn. Likewise did Siyyid Kazim guard this secret like a treasure concealed within a shell. And Mullah Husayn was dispatched by the Bab to deliver a message to the lineal heir who had inherited both the throne of David and the throne of Persia from his father before him.

From that time, Siyyid Ali Muhammad has been known as the Bab and Mirza Husayn -Ali as Baha’u’llah: for the Bab was the “gate” to Baha’u’llah, and Baha’u’llah explained that he was the return and resurrection of that same gate. Therefore from the lineage of Cyrus the Great comes the “two gates” that shall never be shut, for through the “One who has Arisen,” has come the “One who is Everlasting” (Qa’im and Qayyum), for the throne of David shall last for ever.

Alhamdallah!

Hu Allah!

Allah’u’Abha!

ALL praise be to Thee, O my God, inasmuch as Thou hast adorned the world with the splendour of the dawn following the night wherein was born the One Who heralded the Manifestation of Thy transcendent sovereignty, the Dayspring of Thy divine Essence and the Revelation of Thy supreme Lordship. I beseech Thee, O Creator of the heavens and Fashioner of names, to graciously aid those who have sheltered beneath the shadow of Thine abounding mercy and have raised their voices amidst the peoples of the world for the glorification of Thy Name.

O my God! Thou beholdest the Lord of all mankind confined in His Most Great Prison, calling aloud Thy Name, gazing upon Thy face, proclaiming that which hath enraptured the denizens of Thy kingdoms of revelation and of creation. O my God! I behold Mine own Self captive in the hands of Thy servants, yet the light of Thy sovereignty and the revelations of Thine invincible power shine resplendent from His face, enabling all to know of a certainty that Thou art God, and that there is none other God but Thee. Neither can the power of the powerful frustrate Thee, nor the ascendancy of the rulers prevail against Thee. Thou doest whatsoever Thou willest by virtue of Thy sovereignty which encompasseth all created things, and ordainest that which Thou pleasest through the potency of Thy behest which pervadeth the entire creation.

I implore Thee by the glory of Thy Manifestation and by the power of Thy might, Thy sovereignty and Thine exaltation to render victorious those who have arisen to serve Thee, who have aided Thy Cause and humbled themselves before the splendour of the light of Thy face. Make them then, O my God, triumphant over Thine enemies and cause them to be steadfast in Thy service, that through them the evidences of Thy dominion may be established throughout Thy realms and the tokens of Thine indomitable power be manifested in Thy lands. Verily Thou art potent to do what Thou willest; no God is there but Thee, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

This glorious Tablet hath been revealed on the Anniversary of the Birth [of the Báb] that thou mayest recite it in a spirit of humility and supplication and give thanks unto thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Make thou every effort to render service unto God, that from thee may appear that which will immortalize thy memory in His glorious and exalted heaven.

Say: Glorified art Thou, O my God! I implore Thee by the Dawning-Place of Thy signs and by the Revealer of Thy clear tokens to grant that I may, under all conditions, hold fast the cord of Thy loving providence and cling tenaciously to the hem of Thy generosity. Reckon me then with those whom the changes and chances of the world have failed to deter from serving Thee and from bearing allegiance unto Thee, whom the onslaught of the people hath been powerless to hinder from magnifying Thy Name and celebrating Thy praise. Graciously assist me, O my Lord, to do whatever Thou lovest and desirest. Enable me then to fulfil that which will exalt Thy Name and will set ablaze the fire of Thy love.

Thou art, in truth, the Forgiving, the Bountiful.

Baha’u’llah, Tablets, pp. 233-234

He Is God!

O ye who are turned towards the Kingdom and drawn unto the Holy Fragrance diffused from the Garden of El-ABHA!

Arise with every power to assist the Covenant of God and serve in His vineyard. Be confident that a confirmation will be granted unto you and a success on His part is given unto you. Verily, He shall support you by the angels of His holiness and reinforce you with the breaths of the Spirit that ye may mount the Ark of Safety, set forth the evident signs, impart the spirit of life, declare the essence of His commands and precepts, guide the sheep who are straying from the fold in all directions, and give the blessings. Ye have to use every effort in your power and strive earnestly and wisely in this new century. By God, verily the Lord of Hosts is your support, the angels of heaven your assistance, the Holy Spirit your companion and the Center of the Covenant your helper. Be not idle, but active and fear not. Look unto those who have been in the former ages—how they have resisted all nations and suffered all persecutions and afflictions, and how their stars shone, their attacks proved successful, their teachings established, their regions expanded, their hearts gladdened, their ideas cleared and their motives effective. Ye are now in a great station and noble rank and ye shall find yourselves in evident success and prosperity, the like of which the eye of existence never saw in former ages.

El-Baha and salutations be upon every one who is firm in the Covenant, free from dissension, sanctified from deceits and steadfast in the path.

Abdu’l -Baha’, Tablets Of Abdu’l-Baha, Pg. 162

The Báb was a young merchant of the Pure Lineage. He was born in the year one thousand two hundred and thirty-five [A.H.] on the first day of Muharram, 1 and when after a few years His father Siyyid Muḥammad-Riḍá died, He was brought up in Shíráz in the arms of His maternal uncle Mírzá Siyyid ‘Alí the merchant. On attaining maturity He engaged in trade in Búshihr, first in partnership with His maternal uncle and afterwards independently. On account of what was observed in Him He was noted for godliness, devoutness, virtue, and piety, and was regarded in the sight of men as so characterized.

Abdu’l-Baha’, A Traveler’s Narrative, pg. 4

Some people may arise in opposition, heaping persecutions upon you in their bitterness, and in the newspapers there may be articles published against the Cause. Rest ye in the assurance of firmness. Be well poised and serene, remembering that this is only as the harmless twittering of sparrows and that it will soon pass away. If such things do not happen, the fame of the Cause will not become widespread, and the summons of God will not be heard. Consider the history of the past. Recall, for instance, the days of Christ and the events subsequent thereto. How many were the books written against Him! What calumnies were attributed to Him! How violent were the utterances in the temples against Him! How many the accusations! What hatred and persecution! How they scoffed at Him in derision and contempt! Consider the titles and epithets they bestowed upon His majesty! They even designated Him Beelzebub—Satan. They said Beelzebub had been captured and crucified. They placed a crown of thorns upon Beelzebub’s head and paraded Him through the streets. This was the name the Jews bestowed upon Christ; it is written in the Gospel. There were many other forms of reviling and persecution, spitting in His beautiful face, cursing and anathematizing, bowing backward toward Him, saying, “Peace be on thee, thou king of the Jews!” “Peace be on thee, thou destroyer of the temple!” “Peace be on thee, thou king and pretender who would restore the temple in three days!” The philosophers of the times, Romans and Greeks, wrote against Christ. Even the kings wrote books of abuse, calumny and contempt. One of these kings was a Caesar. He was also a philosopher. In his book he says, concerning the people of Christ, “The most degraded of people are the Christians. The most immoral of the people of this time are the Christians. Jesus of Nazareth has led them astray. O people! If you wish to know who Jesus is and what Christian means, go and ask his relatives. Go and ask the Jews who know him. See what a bad person he is, how degraded he is.” There were many similar accounts. But remember that these statements did not affect the cause of Christianity. On the contrary, Christianity advanced daily in power and potency.

Day by day the majesty of Christ grew in splendor and effulgence. Therefore, my purpose is to warn and strengthen you against accusations, criticisms, revilings and derision in newspaper articles or other publications. Be not disturbed by them. They are the very confirmation of the Cause, the very source of upbuilding to the Movement. May God confirm the day when a score of ministers of the churches may arise and with bared heads cry at the top of their voices that the Bahá’ís are misguided. I would like to see that day, for that is the time when the Cause of God will spread. Bahá’u’lláh has pronounced such as these the couriers of the Cause. They will proclaim from pulpits that the Bahá’ís are fools, that they are a wicked and unrighteous people, but be ye steadfastand unwavering in the Cause of God. They will spread the message of Bahá’u’lláh.

Abdu’l-Baha’, Excerpt from 10 November 1912
Talk at 1901 Eighteenth Street, NW, Washington, D. C.

The Promulgation of Universal Peace

O thou who art attracted to the Holy Fragrances!

The light of truth hath made thine eyes to see, the voice of God hath made thine ears to hear and the lights emanating from the beauty of the Light of the World both made thine heart attracted and astonished. I hope that thou wilt cut thyself from all that is in this world; wilt sever thyself from all desires of this transitory world; wilt attach thy heart entirely to the light of truth and wilt, at all times, rise in the service of truth in the rose-garden of God.

The deriding of the enemy addeth to the joy of the heart and taunting of the ignorant becometh the means of spirituality and fragrance.

Observe that the Pharisees called His Holiness, the sweet and the divine Christ, Beelzebub or the head of evil spirits. This people are in the depths of ignorance and their reproach and detraction are like praise and congratulation.

I hope that, in the path of the love of God, thou wilt exert thyself exceedingly and thus wilt enjoy life.

Abdu’l-Baha’, Tablets, Pg. 132

Now as to what thou askest concerning the spirit and its “return” to this world of humanity and this elemental space: Know that spirit in general is divided into five sorts—the vegetable spirit, the animal spirit, the human spirit, the spirit of faith, and the divine spirit of sanctity.
The vegetable spirit is the virtue augmentative, or growing or vegetative faculty, which results from the admixture of the simple elements, with the co-operation of water, air and heat.
The animal spirit is the virtue perceptive resulting from the admixture and absorption of the vital elements generated in the heart, which apprehend sense impressions.
The human spirit consists of the rational, or logical, reasoning faculty, which apprehends general ideas and things intelligible and perceptible.
Now these “spirits” are not reckoned as Spirit in the terminology of the Scriptures and the usage of the people of the Truth, inasmuch as the laws governing them are as the laws which govern all phenomenal being, in respect to generation, corruption, production, change and reversion, as is clearly indicated in the Gospel where it says: “Let the dead bury their dead;” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit”; inasmuch as he who would bury these dead was alive with the vegetative, animal and rational human soul, yet did Christ—to whom be glory! —declare such dead and devoid of life, in that this person was devoid of the Spirit of Faith, which is of the Kingdom of God.
In brief, for these three spirits there is no restitution or “return,” but they are subordinate to reversions and production and corruption.
But the Spirit of Faith which is of the Kingdom consists of the all-comprehending Grace and the perfect attainment and the power of sanctity and the divine effulgence from the Sun of Truth on luminous light-seeking essences from the presence of the divine Unity. And by this Spirit is the life of the spirit of man, when it is fortified thereby, as Christ saith: “That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.” And this Spirit hath both restitution and return, inasmuch as it consists of the Light of God and the unconditioned Grace. So, having regard to this state and station. Christ announced that John the Baptist was Elias, who was to come before Christ (Matt. 11:14). And the likeness of this station is as that of lamps kindled: for these in respect to their glasses and oil-holders, are different, but in respect to their light, One, and in respect to their illumination, One; nay, each one is identical with the other, without imputation of plurality, or diversity or multiplicity or separateness. This is the Truth and beyond the Truth there is only error.
But as to the question of the Trinity, know, O advancer unto God, that in each one of the cycles wherein the Lights have shone forth upon the horizons and the Forgiving Lord hath revealed Himself on Mount Paran (Gen. 21:21, De. 33:2, Habbakkuk 3:3) or Mount Sinai, or Mount Seir (Ezekiel 35), there are necessarily three things: The Giver of the Grace, and the Grace, and the Recipient of the Grace; the Source of the Effulgence, and the Effulgence, and the Recipient of the Effulgence; the Illuminator, and the Illumination, and the Illuminated. Look at the Mosaic cycle: The Lord, and Moses, and the Fire, the Intermediary; and in the Mohammedan cycle: The Lord, the Apostle, and Gabriel. Look at the sun and its rays and the heat which results from its rays; the rays and the heat are but two effects of the sun, but inseparable from it; yet the sun is one in its essence, unique in its real identity, single in its attributes, neither is it possible that anything should resemble it. Such is the essence of the Truth concerning the Unity, the real doctrine of the Singularity, the undiluted reality as to the Sanctity.

Abdu’l-Baha’, Tablets pp. 115-118