"Thus have their superstitions become veils between them and their own hearts..."

The year was 1865.

The place was Adrianople, Turkey (now Edirne).

Bahá’u’lláh had been banished there (for religious and political reasons) from His native Persia.

This link will give you some fascinating detail about the prayer Bahá’u’lláh revealed in Adrianople for a man named Ahmad.

Today's excerpt comes from that prayer:

"Say: O people be obedient to the ordinances of God, which have been enjoined ... by the Glorious, the Wise One. Verily He is the King of the Messengers and His book is the Mother Book did ye but know.

"Thus doth the Nightingale utter His call unto you from this prison. He hath but to deliver this clear message. Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this counsel and whosoever desireth let him choose the path to his Lord.

"O people, if ye deny these verses, by what proof have ye believed in God? Produce it, O assemblage of false ones.

"Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, they are not, and never shall be able to do this, even should they combine to assist one another.

"O Ahmad! Forget not My bounties while I am absent. Remember My days during thy days, and My distress and banishment in this remote prison. And be thou so steadfast in My love that thy heart shall not waver, even if the swords of the enemies rain blows upon thee and all the heavens and the earth arise against thee.

"Be thou as a flame of fire to My enemies and a river of life eternal to My loved ones, and be not of those who doubt.

"And if thou art overtaken by affliction in My path, or degradation for My sake, be not thou troubled thereby.

"Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers. For the people are wandering in the paths of delusion, bereft of discernment to see God with their own eyes, or hear His Melody with their own ears. Thus have We found them, as thou also dost witness.

"Thus have their superstitions become veils between them and their own hearts and kept them from the path of God, the Exalted, the Great."

Compilations, Bahá'í Prayers, p. 209

"...corrosion of ungodliness ..."

The influence of materialism's corruption is much greater than most people realize--so many die in its clutches...

Something to remember while pondering today's excerpt is that it was revealed over 100 years ago!

"The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it.

"The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it?"

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection XCIX, p. 20

"...O Ministers of State..."

We've seen many excerpts from Bahá’u’lláh in this blog: moral guidelines, ethical principles, and transcendental truths.

Today's quote is addressed directly to humanity's rulers...

"Say: It behoveth you, O Ministers of State, to keep the precepts of God, and to forsake your own laws and regulations, and to be of them who are guided aright. Better is this for you than all ye possess, did ye but know it. If ye transgress the commandment of God, not one jot or one tittle of all your works shall be acceptable in His sight. Ye shall, erelong, discover the consequences of that which ye shall have done in this vain life, and shall be repaid for them. This, verily, is the truth, the undoubted truth.

"How great the number of those who, in bygone ages, have committed the things ye have committed, and who, though superior to you in rank, have, in the end, returned unto dust, and been consigned to their inevitable doom! Would that ye might ponder the Cause of God in your hearts! Ye shall follow in their wake, and shall be made to enter a habitation wherein none shall be found to befriend or help you. Ye shall, of a truth, be asked of your doings, shall be called to account for your failure in duty with regard to the Cause of God, and for having disdainfully rejected His loved ones who, with manifest sincerity, have come unto you.

"It is ye who have taken counsel together regarding them, ye that have preferred to follow the promptings of your own desires, and forsaken the commandment of God, the Help in Peril, the Almighty.

"Say: What! Cleave ye to your own devices, and cast behind your backs the precepts of God? Ye, indeed, have wronged your own selves and others. Would that ye could perceive it! Say: If your rules and principles be founded on justice, why is it, then, that ye follow those which accord with your corrupt inclinations and reject such as conflict with your desires? By what right claim ye, then, to judge fairly between men? Are your rules and principles such as to justify your persecution of Him Who, at your bidding, hath presented Himself before you, your rejection of Him, and your infliction on Him every day of grievous injury? Hath He ever, though it be for one short moment, disobeyed you? "

Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection LXV, pp. 123-124

The Soul ~ Revisited

Since we humans are so seduced by the world and our body's desires, I feel we can't get enough knowledge about our souls.

I've mentioned here before that this blog, while being a service to others, is also an extremely important Spiritual Discipline for me.

Seems knowledge of the soul should be part of every human's continuing education...

"When we speak of the soul we mean the motive power of this physical body which lives under its entire control in accordance with its dictates. If the soul identifies itself with the material world it remains dark, for in the natural world there is corruption, aggression, struggles for existence, greed, darkness, transgression and vice. If the soul remains in this station and moves along these paths it will be the recipient of this darkness; but if it becomes the recipient of the graces of the world of mind, its darkness will be transformed into light, its tyranny into justice, its ignorance into wisdom, its aggression into loving kindness; until it reach the apex. Then there will not remain any struggle for existence. Man will become free from egotism; he will be released from the material world; he will become the personification of justice and virtue, for a sanctified soul illumines humanity and is an honor to mankind, conferring life upon the children of men and suffering all nations to attain to the station of perfect unity."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on Divine Philosophy, Chapter 3: "Soul, Mind and Spirit: A Meditation of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá", pp. 120-121

"...sanctified from the impurities of the world of nature."

To help you prepare to read today's main excerpt, I offer two aids:

#1 Disclaimer concerning the word
"Man"

#2 "Materially, man is the prisoner of nature; the least wind disturbs him, the cold hurts him, the heat incommodes him, a mosquito irritates him; but when we consider the intelligence of man, an elephant is powerless before him, a lion is his prisoner, and a boy of twelve can lead twelve hundred animals. Man dries up the sea, inundates the desert, circumnavigates the globe, discovers what is under the earth, rides upon the air and creates new sciences. These are the signs of the crowning spiritual power of man, -- that power which can make nature his prisoner."

--- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

"…the heart which receives a portion of the bounty of the Spirit becomes sanctified, good and pure—that is to say, the reality of man becomes purified and sanctified from the impurities of the world of nature. These natural impurities are evil qualities: anger, lust, worldliness, pride, lying, hypocrisy, fraud, self-love, etc.

"Man cannot free himself from the rage of the carnal passions except by the help of the Holy Spirit."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 19: "The Baptism of Christ", p. 92

The Fruit Tree Metaphor

I'm a writer.

I realize the importance of words.

I also have a sense of their "slipperiness"...

From a Speech delivered 3 December 1912 by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at 780 West End Avenue, New York, New York: "Be not satisfied with words, but seek to understand the spiritual meanings hidden in the heart of the words."

"Man is like unto a tree. If he be adorned with fruit, he hath been and will ever be worthy of praise and commendation. Otherwise a fruitless tree is but fit for fire. The fruits of the human tree are exquisite, highly desired and dearly cherished. Among them are upright character, virtuous deeds and a goodly utterance. The springtime for earthly trees occurreth once every year, while the one for human trees appeareth in the Days of God—exalted be His glory.

"Were the trees of men’s lives to be adorned in this divine Springtime with the fruits that have been mentioned, the effulgence of the light of Justice would, of a certainty, illumine all the dwellers of the earth and everyone would abide in tranquillity and contentment beneath the sheltering shadow of Him Who is the Object of all mankind.

"The Water for these trees is the living water of the sacred Words uttered by the Beloved of the world. In one instant are such trees planted and in the next their branches shall, through the outpourings of the showers of divine mercy, have reached the skies. A dried-up tree, however, hath never been nor will be worthy of any mention."

Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, "Excerpts from Other Tablets" (excerpt #18), p. 257

"Strain every nerve to acquire both inner and outer perfections, for the fruit of the human tree hath ever been and will ever be perfections both within and without. It is not desirable that a man be left without knowledge or skills, for he is then but a barren tree.

"Then, so much as capacity and capability allow, ye needs must deck the tree of being with fruits such as knowledge, wisdom, spiritual perception and eloquent speech."

Bahá’u’lláh: from a Tablet translated from Persian, quoted in the compilation Excellence in All Things, Selection #9

"….if this tree were entirely fruit, the vegetable perfections could not be attained; for leaves, blossoms and fruits are all necessary so that the tree may be adorned with utmost beauty and perfection. In the same way consider the body of man. It must be composed of different organs, parts and members."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Some Answered Questions, Chapter 32: "Explanation of the Verse ‘For Many are Called but Few are Chosen’", p. 129

"In this journey the seeker becometh witness to a myriad changes..."

One of the greatest challenges I can imagine is finding Truth in the Den of Deniers.

Feels like the World has been such a Den for so long now...

"What 'oppression' is greater than that which hath been recounted? What 'oppression' is more grievous than that a soul seeking the truth, and wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God, should know not where to go for it and from whom to seek it?"

Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 31

Since most spiritual folk believe God is All-Good, it seems to make much sense that, in such a Dark World, He Sees great value in His creatures exerting themselves to find His Path:

"Know thou of a truth that the seeker must, at the beginning of his quest for God, enter the Garden of Search. In this journey it behoveth the wayfarer to detach himself from all save God and to close his eyes to all that is in the heavens and on the earth. There must not linger in his heart either the hate or the love of any soul, to the extent that they would hinder him from attaining the habitation of the celestial Beauty. He must sanctify his soul from the veils of glory and refrain from boasting of such worldly vanities, outward knowledge, or other gifts as God may have bestowed upon him. He must search after the truth to the utmost of his ability and exertion, that God may guide him in the paths of His favour and the ways of His mercy. For He, verily, is the best of helpers unto His servants. He saith, and He verily speaketh the truth: 'Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways shall We assuredly guide him.'(Qur’án 29:69) And furthermore: 'Fear God and God will give you knowledge.'(Qur’án 2:282)

"In this journey the seeker becometh witness to a myriad changes and transformations, confluences, and divergences. He beholdeth the wonders of Divinity in the mysteries of creation and discovereth the paths of guidance and the ways of His Lord. Such is the station reached by them that search after God, and such are the heights attained by those who hasten unto Him."

Bahá’u’lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries, pp.36-37

The Valley of Wonderment

Today's excerpt from The Seven Valleys will be the last one, for awhile, from Bahá’u’lláh's Master-Work of Mysticism:

"O friend, the heart is the dwelling of eternal mysteries, make it not the home of fleeting fancies; waste not the treasure of thy precious life in employment with this swiftly passing world. Thou comest from the world of holiness -- bind not thine heart to the earth; thou art a dweller in the court of nearness -- choose not the homeland of the dust.

"In sum, there is no end to the description of these stages, but because of the wrongs inflicted by the peoples of the earth, this Servant is in no mood to continue:

"The tale is still unfinished and I have no heart for it -- Then pray forgive me. [1]
[1 Jalalu'd-Din Rumi (1207-1273 A.D.); The Mathnavi. Jalalu'd-
Din, called Mawlana ('our Master'), is the greatest of all Persian Sufi
poets, and founder of the Mawlavi 'whirling' dervish order.]

"The pen groaneth and the ink sheddeth tears, and the river [1] of the heart moveth in waves of blood. 'Nothing can befall us but what God hath destined for us.' [2] Peace be upon him who followeth the Right Path!
[1 Literally 'Jayhun,' a river in Turkistan.]
[2 Qur'an 9:51.]"

Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys, p. 34

Valley of Unity

Continuing with excerpts from the Mystical Work, The Seven Valleys, today's quote is from the Valley of Unity.

"It is clear to thine Eminence that all the variations which the wayfarer in the stages of his journey beholdeth in the realms of being, proceed from his own vision.

"We shall give an example of this, that its meaning may become fully clear: Consider the visible sun; although it shineth with one radiance upon all things, and at the behest of the King of Manifestation bestoweth light on all creation, yet in each place it becometh manifest and sheddeth its bounty according to the potentialities of that place. For instance, in a mirror it reflecteth its own disk and shape, and this is due to the sensitivity of the mirror; in a crystal it maketh fire to appear, and in other things it showeth only the effect of its shining, but not its full disk. And yet, through that effect, by the command of the Creator, it traineth each thing according to the quality of that thing, as thou observest.

"In like manner, colors become visible in every object according to the nature of that object. For instance, in a yellow globe, the rays shine yellow; in a white the rays are white; and in a red, the red rays are manifest. Then these variations are from the object, not from the shining light. And if a place be shut away from the light, as by walls or a roof, it will be entirely bereft of the splendor of the light, nor will the sun shine thereon.

"Thus it is that certain invalid souls have confined the lands of knowledge within the wall of self and passion, and clouded them with ignorance and blindness, and have been veiled from the light of the mystic sun and the mysteries of the Eternal Beloved; they have strayed afar from the jewelled wisdom of the lucid Faith of the Lord of Messengers, have been shut out of the sanctuary of the All-Beauteous One, and banished from the Ka'bih [1] of splendor.
[1 The holy Sanctuary at Mecca. Here the word means 'goal.']"

Bahá’u’lláh, The Seven Valleys, p. 18