O Lord! Unto Thee I repair for refuge, and toward all Thy signs I set my heart. O Lord! Whether traveling or at home, and in my occupation or in my work, I place my whole trust in Thee. Grant me then Thy sufficing help so as to make me independent of all things, O Thou Who art unsurpassed in Thy mercy!
Bestow upon me my portion, O Lord, as Thou pleasest, and cause me to be satisfied with whatsoever Thou hast ordained for me.Thine is the absolute authority to command. (Prayer of the Bab) Sung by Philadelphia’s own Shaun Gould. Photo by Liane Metzler on UnsplashAuthor: admin
In the United Nations Human Development report of 2002, recommendations were made for true and principled governance, using as a primary reference the words of Ali Abu Ibn Talib, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. In truth, Ali is one of the most revered human beings of all time, but he is little known in the western world. He was the Prophet’s primary supporter during His lifetime and Ali’s sermons following His death clarified the true nature of Islam. For the Islamic revelation, he was the founder of the principles of governance, philosophy, and metaphysics.
At our time in history, when religion has become so confused and degraded, and a source of dissension among peoples, it is critical to understand the revelations of God in their noblest terms, so that we can remember what they were truly about- wisdom, unity, and progressive principles. We will spend this evening’s post highlighting stories and words from the life of Ali Ibn Talib. These stories are taken for an 11th century compilation known as the “Peak of Eloquence”. All quotes are those of Ali.
“Your first lead and guide is your mind. Nothing is more useful to man than his intelligence and there is nothing wealthier than wisdom. There is no greater bounty of the Lord granted to you greater than the intellect.”
“Everyone is your brother, either they are your brother in faith or your brother in creation.”
A story is told of Ali when he was in battle and his opponent lost his sword. He realized his hopeless plight of standing before Ali without his sword. Ali lowered his sword and said “Run away friend, you are not in a position to defend yourself.” The man said, “but why don’t you kill me. It would mean you have one less enemy”. Ali said
“I cannot strike a man who cannot defend himself.” Now the man became bold and said, “I am told that you cannot deny a begger, I beg of you to give me your sword.”. Ali gave him his sword and the man said- “Now who is going to defend you”. Ali responded, “Of course God, he will defend me if He so wills.” At this the man was defeated and said “O Lord, you are a great man. Allow me to join your fold. I want to be your bodyguard and fight for you.”. Ali responded, “Fight for truth and justice and don’t fight for persons.”
In the midst of one of the early battles against the Muslim community, Ali’s servant brought him some sweet syrup to drink, stating “my lord, the sun is very hot and you have been fighting, have a glass of this cold drink.”. Ali looked around himself and replied “shall I refresh myself when hundreds of people around me are lying wounded and dying of thirst and wounds? Instead of bringing sweet syrup for me, take a few men and give each of these wounded men a cool drink.” The servant said “but my lord, these are your enemies”. Ali said “they may be but they are human beings and attend to them.”
Another story is told of a situation in which Ali’s army was kept from refreshing themselves in a river, as it was presided over by the commander of the enemy. They requested but were denied the ability to refresh themselves. Soon after, Ali’s army attacked and were able to take the river. The enemy now sent men to Ali, asking if they could access the river for themselves and their horses. Ali told them to take as much water as they like and as often as they need. When his officers remarked to him that these were the very people who had refused them access to the river, he replied “they are human beings and, though they have acted inhumanly, yet I cannot follow their example and cannot refuse a man food and drink because he happens to be my enemy”.
After the death of the Prophet, Ali assumed no formal political role initially, spending time delivering sermons on the nature of Islam. He had a deep commitment to learning and protected the library of Alexandria from being harmed after it was taken by the Muslims, stating that none of the learning in it could possibly be against the Quran. When he did accede to leadership, he initiated reforms and systematically promoted education and literacy.
Ali was particularly concerned about the differences between the new Muslim community and the Arab tribal structure it was replacing. There was a constant tension, as there is in the modern day, between various groups who wanted to jockey for resources and power against other tribes and racial groups. Ali taught about the equal distribution of public wealth, even to slaves, and centered much of his attention on the poor and downtrodden. In order to demonstrate this, he sought to reflect these values in his own life, eating humble food and dressing in clothing that was similar to the poorest Muslims.
One man described an encounter with Ali in this way- “One day I went to see Ali in the Government House. It was the time of breakfast and before him there was a cup of milk and some barley bread. The bread was dry, stale, hard, and did not contain any butter or oil. It could not be easily broken into pieces…I turned towards his servant and said “FIzza! Have you no pity upon your old master and cannot give him softer bread and add some butter and oil to it?” She replied “why should I pity him when he doesn’t pity himself? He has strict orders that nothing it to be added to his bread and even the chaff and husks are not to be separated. We are his servants and we eat much better food than him”…. Ali was asked why he ate in this way and he replied- “I want the eat the kind of food which the poorest of this realm can afford at least once a day. I shall improve it after I have improved their standards of life. I want to live, feel, and suffer like them”.
One time, Ali came out of his house and there were patches sown onto his dress and was teased for looking so shabby. He said “Let go, what you you to find objection in my dress. It is the kind our masses can afford. Why can you not think of their lives and dress? I shall improve my standard after I have succeeded in improving theirs. I shall continue to live like them. Such kind of dress makes one feel humble and meek and give up vanity, haughtiness, and arrogance.”
Ali instituted progressive taxation and refused to accept gifts that were over and above the normal taxes. He insisted on the equal distribution of the public taxes, stating that the income of the ruler (from public wealth) must be no more than a commoner. The development of agricultures was more important than taxation stating “so far as the collection of land revenue is concerned, you must always keep in view the welfare of the tax-payer, which is more important than the taxes themselves…, as actual taxable capacity of people rests on the fertility of the land, therefore more attention should be paid to the fertility of the land and prosperity of the subjects than to the collection of revenues.” He also demonstrated benign governance. He laid down rules of war that supported only wars of defense, saying never to attack someone who is wounded or someone who is running away, and never to harm women, children, or the elderly.
In doing all these reforms, he made some natural enemies, particularly from those who wanted to control public wealth in a non-equal way. One of his companions pointed this out to him by saying, “Look my lord, these are the reasons influential people and rich Arabs are deserting you….Of what use are these poor persons, disabled people, aged widows and Negro slaves to you? How can they help and serve you?”. He replied “I cannot allow rich and influential persons to exploit the society of this Muslim state and run an inequitable and unjust system of distribution of wealth and opportunities. I cannot for a moment tolerate this. This is public wealth. It comes from the masses and must go back to them…So far as the usefulness or services of these disabled persons and have-nots is concerned, remember that I am not helping them to secure their services. I fully well know that they are not able to serve me. I help them because they cannot help themselves and they are as much human beings as you and I. May God help me to do my duty as He wishes me to do.”
In addition to being a great statesman, Ali is most known as the center of Islamic metaphysics and his commitment to reason and knowledge. His description of God is illuminating-
“God is not like any object that the human mind can conceive. No attribute can be ascribed to Him which bears the least resemblance to any quality of which human beings have perception from their knowledge of material objects…He is with every object, not from resemblance or nearness. He is outside everything but not from separation or indifference towards His creatures. He works and creates but not in the meaning of motions or actions….He has no relation to matter, time and space. God is omnipotent because knowledge is His Essence, Loving because love is His Essence, Might because power is His Essence, Forgiveness because forgiveness is His Essence, and not because these are attributes apart from His Essence.”
(Passages summarized from Peak of Eloquence (Nahjul Balagha), translated by Sayed Ali Reza and published by Thrice Tarsile Quran, Inc. Sixth Edition 1996)
O Moving Form of Dust! I desire communion with thee, but thou wouldst put no trust in Me. The sword of thy rebellion hath felled the tree of thy hope. At all times I am near unto thee, but thou art ever far from Me. Imperishable glory I have chosen for thee, yet boundless shame thou hast chosen for thyself. While there is yet time, return, and lose not thy chance. – Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words
In a previous short essay about death, we described how the Revelations of God have talked about death, encouraging us not to fear it, and to prepare for it by following spiritual teachings. As we noted, there seems to be a connection between the development of a spiritual perspective and the next world itself. As noted, Baha’u’llah expressed the idea that “the true believer lives in both this world and the world to come”. The word in Arabic that Baha’u’llah used to refer to the next world is “malakut”. Interestingly, the origin of the word is Aramaic- the ancient Hebrew language that Christ spoke. In Aramaic, “malakut” means the “Kingdom of God”, which is of course how Christ referred to His own message, further strengthening this connection between spiritual teachings and the next world.
Baha’u’llah describes this further- “The nature of the soul after death can never be described, nor is it meet and permissible to reveal its whole character to the eyes of men. The Prophets and Messengers of God have been sent down for the sole purpose of guiding mankind to the straight Path of Truth. The purpose underlying Their revelation hath been to educate all men, that they may, at the hour of death, ascend, in the utmost purity and sanctity and with absolute detachment, to the throne of the Most High.”
Baha’is are taught that there is only one world that we all go to after death. “Heaven” and “hell” are metaphorical terms that reflect our degree of spiritual development, but we all go to the same place when we die, no matter what your religion or belief. It’s just that faith in the great Revelations of God prepare us better for that world than rejection of them. As those religions all taught us to believe in abstract moral principles, see ourselves as primary spiritual beings, one can appreciate how believing in them would better prepare us for an abstract spiritual life in the next world, whereas rejection of such a belief would keep our vision focused only on the material world we share with animals and deprive us of that preparation and growth. “Belief” then is a process of putting your faith and trust in something abstract that exists beyond you, and in so doing, you develop and prepare yourself for an “abstract” world after this one.
All this may seem strange until you recognize that humans believe in abstract things all the time. “Justice”, for instance, is an abstract idea. Indeed, the development of civilization depends upon people and societies putting their own personal preferences aside and adhering to abstract moral principles- principles like justice and equality…etc. You then can appreciate that creating the “Kingdom of God” on earth is about basing our societies on peace and justice- that is- abstract moral principles- the same stuff that is the fuel for progress in the next world! As Jesus taught His followers to say in the Lord’s prayer- “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.
With those introductory comments, we present the following passages from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’, who explained all these ideas so clearly-.
Know thou that the Kingdom is the real world, and this nether place is only its shadow stretching out. A shadow hath no life of its own; its existence is only a fantasy, and nothing more; it is but images reflected in water, and seeming as pictures to the eye…If thou wouldst hearken to my words, release thyself from the fetters of whatsoever cometh to pass. Nay rather, under all conditions thank thou thy loving Lord, and yield up thine affairs unto His Will that worketh as He pleaseth. This verily is better for thee than all else, in either world. (‘Abdu’l-Baha)
O thou handmaid aflame with the fire of God’s love! Grieve thou not over the troubles and hardships of this nether world, nor be thou glad in times of ease and comfort, for both shall pass away. This present life is even as a swelling wave, or a mirage, or drifting shadows. Could ever a distorted image on the desert serve as refreshing waters? No, by the Lord of Lords! Never can reality and the mere semblance of reality be one, and wide is the difference between fancy and fact, between truth and the phantom thereof. (‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
The difference and distinction will naturally become realized between all men after their departure from this mortal world. But this (distinction) is not in respect to place, but it is in respect to the soul and conscience. For the Kingdom of God is sanctified (or free) from time and place; it is another world and another universe. (‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
The rewards of the other world are peace, the spiritual graces, the various spiritual gifts in the Kingdom of God, the gaining of the desires of the heart and the soul, and the meeting of God in the world of eternity. In the same way the punishments of the other world, that is to say, the torments of the other world, consist in being deprived of the special divine blessings and the absolute bounties, and falling into the lowest degrees of existence (‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
When the human soul soareth out of this transient heap of dust and riseth into the world of God, then veils will fall away, and verities will come to light, and all things unknown before will be made clear, and hidden truths be understood.
Consider how a being, in the world of the womb, was deaf of ear and blind of eye, and mute of tongue; how he was bereft of any perceptions at all. But once, out of that world of darkness, he passed into this world of light, then his eye saw, his ear heard, his tongue spoke. In the same way, once he hath hastened away from this mortal place into the Kingdom of God, then he will be born in the spirit; then the eye of his perception will open, the ear of his soul will hearken, and all the truths of which he was ignorant before will be made plain and clear. (‘Abdu’l-Baha’)
Photo by Luis Fernando Felipe Alves on Unsplash
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All the great Revelations have taught humanity to come to terms with death and live their lives in anticipation of it. For all these great religions, death is not the end but is a transition of our abstract souls into a more abstract existence. We are taught that it is only “abstract” in relation to this world, but is still a real existence. Jesus consoled His disciples about His own death by saying that His “father’s house” had “many rooms” and that if they followed His teachings, they would find Him there. The Prophet Muhammad reminds us in the Quran that “every soul shall taste of death“, and that when we die, we should die in a “state of submission” unto God.
Baha’u’llah’s Revelation is more expansive on this theme and we will share several quotes tonight that reflect that. He describes “worlds of God” that exist beyond this one, and that we are part of as vast a spiritual universe as we are a physical universe. The purpose of life is to develop the spiritual aspect of ourselves to prepare for the world beyond, which has none of the physical features with which we often define ourselves. He tells us that “a true believer lives in this world and the world to come“, indicating that our spiritual lives and our life in the next world are intimately connected. Baha’u’llah also taught that we should not fear death, nor excessively grieve about it. In a Tablet provisionally translated as the Tablet of Consolation, Baha’u’llah comforts a man who has lost his father-
This is no day of woe and weeping. Ye who believe in God should rejoice in the days of your Lord, the All-Forgiving, the Munificent. He(God) it is who suffices you and He is more loving than a thousand fathers.
Indeed, we should meditate about death, because seeing our lives in that broader context helps us to live life with purpose and meaning.
This is most succinctly expressed in the following Hidden Word, in which God speaks directly to each of us with a message about death. It has been beautifully set to music by Paul Parrish.
I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve? I made the light to shed on thee its splendor. Why dost thou veil thyself therefrom?
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On June 9, 1912, Baha’u’llah’s son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ came to Philadelphia and spoke at several venues. He had been invited by Russel Conwell, the founder of Temple University, who had heard ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ speak in Egypt and was deeply impressed. He wanted ‘Abdu’l-Baha’ to come and speak at his church- the Baptist Temple on Broad Street- at that time the largest Protestant congregation in the country. It is now the Performing Arts Center for the University. It is pictured above at the time of a gathering of Baha’is celebrating the event.
‘Abdu’l-Baha’s talk covers a lot of ground! He starts by describing how human can never fully understand the reality of God but that each of the Revelations of God reflect His reality to us. He then goes on to highlight some of primary social teachings of Baha’u’llah, including the oneness of humanity, the equality of men and women, universal education, and the harmony of science and religion.
It is a good introduction to the spirit of Baha’u’llah’s teachings, whose Writings we have been using as part of the Challenge. An essay with more focus on the life of Baha’u’llah can be found here. Enjoy!
I have come from distant countries of the Orient where the lights of heaven have ever shone forth, from regions where the Manifestations of God have appeared and the radiance and power of God have been revealed to mankind. The purpose and intention of my visit is that, perchance, a bond of unity and agreement may be established between the East and West, that divine love may encompass all nations, divine radiance enlighten both continents and the bounties of the Holy Spirit revivify the body of the world. Therefore, I supplicate the threshold of God that the Orient and Occident may become as one, that the various peoples and religions be unified and souls be blended as the waves of one sea. May they become as trees, flowers and roses which adorn and beautify the same garden.
The realm of Divinity is an indivisible oneness, wholly sanctified above human comprehension; for intellectual knowledge of creation is finite, whereas comprehension of Divinity is infinite. How can the finite comprehend the infinite? We are utter poverty, whereas the reality of Divinity is absolute wealth. How can utter poverty understand absolute wealth? We are utter weakness, whereas the reality of Divinity is absolute power. Utter weakness can never attain nor apprehend absolute power. The phenomenal beings, which are captives of limitations, are ever subject to transformation and change in condition. How can such phenomenal beings ever grasp the heavenly, eternal, unchanging reality? Assuredly this is an absolute impossibility, for when we study the creational world, we see that the difference of degree is a barrier to such knowing. An inferior degree can never comprehend a higher degree or kingdom. The mineral, no matter how far it may advance, can never attain knowledge of the vegetable. No matter how the plant or vegetable may progress, it cannot perceive the reality of the animal kingdom—in other words, it cannot grasp a world of life that is endowed with the power of the senses. The animal may develop a wonderful degree of intelligence, but it can never attain the powers of ideation and conscious reflection which belong to man. It is evident, therefore, that difference in degree is ever an obstacle to comprehension of the higher by the lower, the superior by the inferior. This flower, so beautiful, fresh, fragrant and delicately scented, although it may have attained perfection in its own kingdom, nevertheless cannot comprehend the human reality, cannot possess sight and hearing; therefore, it exists unaware of the world of man, although man and itself are both accidental or conditional beings. The difference is difference of degree. The limitation of an inferior degree is the barrier to comprehension.
This being so, how can the human reality, which is limited, comprehend the eternal, unmanifest Creator? How can man comprehend the omniscient, omnipresent Lord? Undoubtedly, he cannot, for whatever comes within the grasp of human mind is man’s limited conception, whereas the divine Kingdom is unlimited, infinite. But although the reality of Divinity is sanctified beyond the comprehension of its creatures, it has bestowed its bounties upon all kingdoms of the phenomenal world, and evidences of spiritual manifestation are witnessed throughout the realms of contingent existence. The lights of God illumine the world of man, even as the effulgences of the sun shine gloriously upon the material creation. The Sun of Reality is one; its bestowal is one; its heat is one; its rays are one; it shines upon all the phenomenal world, but the capacity for comprehending it differs according to the kingdoms, each kingdom receiving the light and bounty of the eternal Sun according to its capacity. The black stone receives the light of the material sun; the trees and animals likewise are recipients of it. All exist and are developed by that one bounty. The perfect soul of man—that is to say, the perfect individual—is like a mirror wherein the Sun of Reality is reflected. The perfections, the image and light of that Sun have been revealed in the mirror; its heat and illumination are manifest therein, for that pure soul is a perfect expression of the Sun.
These mirrors are the Messengers of God Who tell the story of Divinity, just as the material mirror reflects the light and disc of the outer sun in the skies. In this way the image and effulgence of the Sun of Reality appear in the mirrors of the Manifestations of God. This is what Jesus Christ meant when He declared, “the father is in the son,” the purpose being that the reality of that eternal Sun had become reflected in its glory in Christ Himself. It does not signify that the Sun of Reality had descended from its place in heaven or that its essential being had effected an entrance into the mirror, for there is neither entrance nor exit for the reality of Divinity; there is no ingress or egress; it is sanctified above all things and ever occupies its own holy station. Changes and transformations are not applicable to that eternal reality. Transformation from condition to condition is the attribute of contingent realities.
At a time when warfare and strife prevailed among nations, when enmity and hatred separated sects and denominations and human differences were very great, Bahá’u’lláh appeared upon the horizon of the East, proclaiming the oneness of God and the unity of the world of humanity. He promulgated the teaching that all mankind are the servants of one God; that all have come into being through the bestowal of the one Creator; that God is kind to all, nurtures, rears and protects all, provides for all and extends His love and mercy to all races and people. Inasmuch as God is loving, why should we be unjust and unkind? As God manifests loyalty and mercy, why should we show forth enmity and hatred? Surely the divine policy is more perfect than human plan and theory; for no matter how wise and sagacious man may become, he can never attain a policy that is superior to the policy of God.
Therefore, we must emulate the attitude of God, love all people, be just and kind to every human creature. We must consider all as the leaves, branches and fruit of one tree, children of one household; for all are the progeny of Adam. We are waves of one sea, grass of the same meadow, stars in the same heaven; and we find shelter in the universal divine Protector. If one be sick, he must be treated; the ignorant must be educated; the sleeping must be awakened; the dead must be quickened with life. These were principles of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh.
In proclaiming the oneness of mankind He taught that men and women are equal in the sight of God and that there is no distinction to be made between them. The only difference between them now is due to lack of education and training. If woman is given equal opportunity of education, distinction and estimate of inferiority will disappear. The world of humanity has two wings, as it were: One is the female; the other is the male. If one wing be defective, the strong perfect wing will not be capable of flight. The world of humanity has two hands. If one be imperfect, the capable hand is restricted and unable to perform its duties. God is the Creator of mankind. He has endowed both sexes with perfections and intelligence, given them physical members and organs of sense, without differentiation or distinction as to superiority; therefore, why should woman be considered inferior? This is not according to the plan and justice of God. He has created them equal; in His estimate there is no question of sex. The one whose heart is purest, whose deeds are most perfect, is acceptable to God, male or female.
Furthermore, the education of women is of greater importance than the education of men, for they are the mothers of the race, and mothers rear the children. The first teachers of children are the mothers. Therefore, they must be capably trained in order to educate both sons and daughters. There are many provisions in the words of Bahá’u’lláh in regard to this. He promulgated the adoption of the same course of education for man and woman. Daughters and sons must follow the same curriculum of study, thereby promoting unity of the sexes. When all mankind shall receive the same opportunity of education and the equality of men and women be realized, the foundations of war will be utterly destroyed. Without equality this will be impossible because all differences and distinction are conducive to discord and strife. Equality between men and women is conducive to the abolition of warfare for the reason that women will never be willing to sanction it. Mothers will not give their sons as sacrifices upon the battlefield after twenty years of anxiety and loving devotion in rearing them from infancy, no matter what cause they are called upon to defend. There is no doubt that when women obtain equality of rights, war will entirely cease among mankind.
Bahá’u’lláh promulgated the fundamental oneness of religion. He taught that reality is one and not multiple, that it underlies all divine precepts and that the foundations of the religions are, therefore, the same. Certain forms and imitations have gradually arisen. As these vary, they cause differences among religionists. If we set aside these imitations and seek the fundamental reality underlying our beliefs, we reach a basis of agreement because it is one and not multiple.
Among the other principles of Bahá’u’lláh’s teachings was the harmony of science and religion. Religion must stand the analysis of reason. It must agree with scientific fact and proof so that science will sanction religion and religion fortify science. Both are indissolubly welded and joined in reality. If statements and teachings of religion are found to be unreasonable and contrary to science, they are outcomes of superstition and imagination. Innumerable doctrines and beliefs of this character have arisen in the past ages. Consider the superstitions and mythology of the Romans, Greeks and Egyptians; all were contrary to religion and science. It is now evident that the beliefs of these nations were superstitions, but in those times they held to them most tenaciously. For example, one of the many Egyptian idols was to those people an authenticated miracle, whereas in reality it was a piece of stone. As science could not sanction the miraculous origin and nature of a piece of rock, the belief in it must have been superstition. It is now evident that it was superstition. Therefore, we must cast aside such beliefs and investigate reality. That which is found to be real and conformable to reason must be accepted, and whatever science and reason cannot support must be rejected as imitation and not reality. Then differences of belief will disappear. All will become as one family, one people, and the same susceptibility to the divine bounty and education will be witnessed among mankind.
O Thou forgiving Lord! Thou art the shelter of all these Thy servants. Thou knowest the secrets and art aware of all things. We are all helpless, and Thou art the Mighty, the Omnipotent. We are all sinners, and Thou art the Forgiver of sins, the Merciful, the Compassionate. O Lord! Look not at our shortcomings. Deal with us according to Thy grace and bounty. Our shortcomings are many, but the ocean of Thy forgiveness is boundless. Our weakness is grievous, but the evidences of Thine aid and assistance are clear. Therefore, confirm and strengthen us. Enable us to do that which is worthy of Thy holy Threshold. Illumine our hearts, grant us discerning eyes and attentive ears. Resuscitate the dead and heal the sick. Bestow wealth upon the poor and give peace and security to the fearful. Accept us in Thy kingdom and illumine us with the light of guidance. Thou art the Powerful and the Omnipotent. Thou art the Generous. Thou art the Clement. Thou art the Kind.
On Sifter of Dust, we present scriptural passages from the great religion of Islam. In a previous essay on Christianity, we discussed how the concept of the oneness of God- the worship of an abstract Reality who was the source of goodness- had an incredible unifying, and indeed, civilizing effect on Europe. People were then able to see themselves as not all that different from the other tribes, and gradually the society developed a common sense of identity based on common moral and spiritual values. Of course, tribalism still existed in other forms, as the wars that encompassed Europe for much of the last 2000 years attest, but the foundation was being laid for the social and political structures that would be erected in later centuries.
Christianity’s early spread through Europe happened in the first 600 years after Christ, and then it was diffused world-wide when European countries encompassed the globe in the age of Imperialism, after 1600. In the year 610 AD however, after Christianity’s initial spread, the Revelation of the Prophet Muhammad arose out of the desert and would soon bring under its banner all of the Middle East, Persia, north Africa and the southern portions of Europe. Similar to Europe before Christ, the pattern of life before the Prophet Muhammad in these areas was almost entirely a tribal one, with the worship of many different “gods”. The tribes of the Arabian desert were so frequently at war that they officially agreed on a month of peace once a year to give them all a break. War was literally built into the calendar.
Islam raised its structure on the theological foundations of Judaism and Christianity. The Prophet Muhammad declared Himself to be the next in the line of Prophets and Messengers dating back to pre-historic times. He accepted both Moses and Jesus as true. As the Prophet explained in the Quran, the common identity of all the Messengers that had come before Him, and indeed all humanity, was their submission to One God, the same abstract, all-pervasive Force that other monotheistic religions worshipped. “Islam” means “submission”, and all the founders of the religions before the Prophet Muhammad were regarded as being part of one religion- the religion of “submission” to One God. The “oneness of God”, or as the Prophet described it- the “unity of God”- was the unifying idea for, not only all Muslims, but all peoples and all previous revelations from God. Islam was therefore the most universal religion the world had ever seen, as it encompassed all the peoples and religions in a single unifying perspective. “All people are your brothers, either they are your brothers in faith or your brothers in creation”, stated Ali Ibn Talib, the Prophet’s son-in-law and Islam’s first theologian.
The effect of the Prophet Muhammad’s teaching was both profound and dramatic. Islamic civilization literally arose like a phoenix out of the desert and within a few centuries was the most advanced civilization on earth. Like Christianity, the framework of One God not only brought diverse peoples into a common identity, it created social norms that led to stability and the advancement of intellectual, artistic, scientific, and spiritual enterprises of the highest quality. Islam’s tolerance and acceptance of Judaism and Christianity, defining both as honored “People of the Book” allowed Jews and Christians to live in Islamic lands under the Prophet’s own protection. Baha’u’llah would later describe Islam as like a “garden” filled with diverse and wondrous fruits, as peoples and cultures mixed together and produced a new civilization.
It’s worth meditating a bit on the concept of the “unity of God”, as expressed in the short statement summarizing the message of Islam- “There is no god, but God”. The Quran describes this God in every chapter with the introduction “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the All Merciful”. The Quran further defines how this “One God’ should be worshipped. “Serve God, and do not associate anything with God, and be good to your parents, and relative, and orphans and the poor, and to neighbors close by and neighbors remote, and to the companion at your side, and to the traveler, and to your wards, for God does not love the arrogant, the boastful…” In another passage of the Quran, God states– “Verily I am God: there is no god but Me, so serve Me only, and establish regular prayer for celebrating My praise.”
The opposite of this perspective was “idol worship”- putting one’s faith in a material thing. In the Prophet’s time, it was a statue or other image, or a “god” that was not real, as opposed to the One God who was truly real. Muslim philosophers and poets would define it more abstractly- anything that kept you from embodying the virtues of God- including your own ego (or someone else’s). Baha’u’llah would later refer to the “god” of our “idle fancies”, ideas with no intrinsic value but to which we get attached. To worship God is to engage in the sublime exercise of worshipping all that is good and true and right. “There is no god”– “but God” is a statement of profound spiritual and psychological truth.
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Tonight’s post is from a magnificent Tablet of Baha’u’llah in which he addresses all of us all with the Voice of God. It is very powerful and beautiful.
“O My servants! Were ye to discover the hidden, the shoreless oceans of My incorruptible wealth, ye would, of a certainty, esteem as nothing the world, nay, the entire creation. Let the flame of search burn with such fierceness within your hearts as to enable you to attain your supreme and most exalted goal—the station at which ye can draw nigh unto, and be united with, your Best-Beloved….
O My servants! Deprive not yourselves of the unfading and resplendent Light that shineth within the Lamp of Divine glory. Let the flame of the love of God burn brightly within your radiant hearts. Feed it with the oil of Divine guidance, and protect it within the shelter of your constancy. Guard it within the globe of trust and detachment from all else but God…
O My servants! Could ye apprehend with what wonders of My munificence and bounty I have willed to entrust your souls, ye would, of a truth, rid yourselves of attachment to all created things, and would gain a true knowledge of your own selves—a knowledge which is the same as the comprehension of Mine own Being. Ye would find yourselves independent of all else but Me, and would perceive, with your inner and outer eye, and as manifest as the revelation of My effulgent Name, the seas of My loving-kindness and bounty moving within you. Suffer not your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity and blindness of heart to dim the luster, or stain the sanctity, of so lofty a station. Ye are even as the bird which soareth, with the full force of its mighty wings and with complete and joyous confidence, through the immensity of the heavens, until, impelled to satisfy its hunger, it turneth longingly to the water and clay of the earth below it, and, having been entrapped in the mesh of its desire, findeth itself impotent to resume its flight to the realms whence it came. Powerless to shake off the burden weighing on its sullied wings, that bird, hitherto an inmate of the heavens, is now forced to seek a dwelling-place upon the dust. Wherefore, O My servants, defile not your wings with the clay of waywardness and vain desires, and suffer them not to be stained with the dust of envy and hate, that ye may not be hindered from soaring in the heavens of My divine knowledge…
He that hath Me not is bereft of all things. Turn ye away from all that is on earth and seek none else but Me. I am the Sun of Wisdom and the Ocean of Knowledge. I cheer the faint and revive the dead. I am the guiding Light that illumineth the way. I am the royal Falcon on the arm of the Almighty. I unfold the drooping wings of every broken bird and start it on its flight… .”
– Baha’u’llah
Photo by Karl Anderson, courtesy of Unsplash.com
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You have a weekend assignment! But we think you will enjoy it.
As part of the 19 Day Challenge, we wanted to highlight people who have drawn on the deep well-springs of faith and their love for God to bring good into the world and influence others, who exemplified “deeds” over “words”. Almost no human being in 20th century American life embodied that more than Dr Martin Luther King Jr. The son and grandson of a Baptist minister, Dr King joined the clergy himself after completing a degree in Divinity from Harvard University. Early in life, while only in his 30’s, he assumed a leadership position in the struggle for civil rights. Dr King could have taken many approaches to try and right the festering wounds that still blighted American society from its inception as a slave-holding nation, but he chose the path of peace and justice. His speeches are a lesson in the application of spiritual and moral principle to the challenges of life and of society. He talked about Christ’s admonition to “love God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul” and emphasized that it included “loving God with your mind”. We often hear only segments of his talks, but listening to an entire speech, which are often more than 45 minutes long, is well worth every second. Thankfully, the King Center and others make those talks available on-line for the public to hear. We should all listen to as many as we can.
Below, we have copied the link to Dr King’s speech entitled “The Drum Major Instinct” and encourage you to listen to it this weekend as part of the Challenge. The talk is significant for many reasons, but it is also one of the last speeches of Dr King, delivered only two months before he was assassinated. In it he talks about his own death and how he was willing to face it for the good of others. Enjoy!
Photo courtesy of Rowland Scherman; restored by Adam Cuerden – U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46527326
Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
-Jesus, Gospel of Matthew
O MY SERVANTS! Ye are the trees of My garden; ye must give forth goodly and wondrous fruits, that ye yourselves and others may profit therefrom. Thus it is incumbent on every one to engage in crafts and professions, for therein lies the secret of wealth, O men of understanding! For results depend upon means, and the grace of God shall be all-sufficient unto you. Trees that yield no fruit have been and will ever be for the fire.
-Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah
Photo by Johann Siemens on Unsplash
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