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God
That which we imagine, is not the
Reality of God; He, the Unknowable, the Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest
conception of man.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 24)
To every discerning and illuminated
heart it is evident that God, the unknowable Essence, the Divine Being, is
immensely exalted beyond every human attribute, such as corporeal existence,
ascent and descent, egress and regress. Far be it from His glory that human
tongue should adequately recount His praise, or that human heart comprehend
His fathomless mystery.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
p. 46)
Oneness of Religion
Religion must be the cause of
affection. It must be a joy-bringer. If it become the cause of difference, it
were better to banish it. Should it become the source of hatred, or warfare,
it were better that it should not exist. If a remedy produce added illness, it
were far better to discard the remedy.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 82)
Reality is not divisible; it does
not admit multiplicity. All the holy Manifestations of God have proclaimed and
promulgated the same reality. They have summoned mankind to reality itself and
reality is one. The clouds and mists of imitations have obscured the Sun of
Truth. We must forsake these imitations, dispel these clouds and mists and
free the Sun from the darkness of superstition. Then will the Sun of Truth
shine most gloriously…
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 256)
Therefore, if the religions
investigate reality and seek the essential truth of their own foundations,
they will agree and no difference will be found. But inasmuch as religions are
submerged in dogmatic imitations, forsaking the original foundations, and as
imitations differ widely, therefore, the religions are divergent and
antagonistic.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.
126)
Messengers of God
He hath ordained that in every age
and dispensation a pure and stainless Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of
earth and heaven. Unto this subtle, this mysterious and ethereal Being He hath
assigned a twofold nature; the physical, pertaining to the world of matter,
and the spiritual, which is born of the substance of God Himself.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 66)
Know thou assuredly that the essence
of all the Prophets of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God,
the Creator, saith: There is no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My
Message. They all have but one purpose; their secret is the same secret. To
prefer one in honor to another, to exalt certain ones above the rest, is in no
wise to be permitted. Every true Prophet hath regarded His Message as
fundamentally the same as the Revelation of every other Prophet gone before
Him.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of
Bahá'u'lláh, p. 78)
Light is good in whatsoever lamp it
is burning! A rose is beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom! A star has
the same radiance if it shines from the East or from the West. Be free from
prejudice, so will you love the Sun of Truth from whatsoever point in the
horizon it may arise!
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 136)
Independent Investigation of Truth
God has given man the eye of
investigation by which he may see and recognize truth. He has endowed man with
ears that he may hear the message of reality and conferred upon him the gift
of reason by which he may discover things for himself. This is his endowment
and equipment for the investigation of reality. Man is not intended to see
through the eyes of another, hear through another's ears nor comprehend with
another's brain. Each human creature has individual endowment, power and
responsibility in the creative plan of God. Therefore depend upon your own
reason and judgment and adhere to the outcome of your own investigation;
otherwise you will be utterly submerged in the sea of ignorance and deprived
of all the bounties of God.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 75)
Harmony of Science and Religion
Science must be accepted. No one
truth can contradict another truth. Light is good in whatsoever lamp it is
burning!
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 136)
Bahá'u'lláh declared that religion
is in complete harmony with science and reason. If religious belief and
doctrine is at variance with reason, it proceeds from the limited mind of man
and not from God; therefore, it is unworthy of belief and not deserving of
attention; the heart finds no rest in it, and real faith is impossible. How
can man believe that which he knows to be opposed to reason? Is this possible?
Can the heart accept that which reason denies? Reason is the first faculty of
man, and the religion of God is in harmony with it.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p.
231)
Oneness of Humanity
…mankind has been created from one
single origin, has branched off from one family. Thus in reality all mankind
represents one family. God has not created any difference. He has created all
as one that thus this family might live in perfect happiness and well-being.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Foundations of World Unity, p. 38)
Know ye not why We created you all
from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at
all times in your hearts how ye were created.
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Arabic Hidden Words #68)
So powerful is the light of unity
that it can illuminate the whole earth.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14)
Let your vision be world-embracing,
rather than confined to your own self.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
p. 94)
Elimination of Prejudice
The whole world must be looked upon
as one single country, all the nations as one nation, all men as belonging to
one race. Religions, races, and nations are all divisions of man's making
only, and are necessary only in his thought….
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 131)
Love ye all religions and all races
with a love that is true and sincere and show that love through deeds….
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Bahá,
p. 69)
Equality of Women and Men
The world of humanity has two wings
-- one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed
can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until
the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of
virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought
to be.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 288)
As long as women are prevented
from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to
achieve the greatness which might be theirs.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 133)
World Commonwealth
The time must come when the
imperative necessity for the holding of a vast, an all-embracing assemblage of
men will be universally realized. The rulers and kings of the earth must needs
attend it, and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways
and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace amongst men.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh,
p. 248)
Prayer
The wisdom of prayer is this: That
it causeth a connection between the servant and the True One, because in that
state man with all heart and soul turneth his face towards His Highness the
Almighty, seeking His association and desiring His love and compassion. The
greatest happiness for a lover is to converse with his beloved, and the
greatest gift for a seeker is to become familiar with the object of his
longing; that is why with every soul who is attracted to the Kingdom of God,
his greatest hope is to find an opportunity to entreat and supplicate before
his Beloved, appeal for His mercy and grace and be immersed in the ocean of
His utterance, goodness and generosity.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 368)
This is worship: to serve mankind
and to minister to the needs of the people. Service is prayer.
(‘Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 176)
Spiritual Qualities
Be generous in prosperity, and
thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon
him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher
to the rich, an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity
of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust
to no man, and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk
in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the
distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let
integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts. Be a home for the
stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be
eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. Be an
ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a
pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of
mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of
virtue, a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of
knowledge, a sun in the heaven of bounty, a gem on the diadem of wisdom, a
shining light in the firmament of thy generation, a fruit upon the tree of
humility. We pray God to protect thee from the heat of jealousy and the cold
of hatred. He verily is nigh, ready to answer.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 93)
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