پیام مرکز جهانی بهائی مورخ 9 بهمن 1392 خطاب به جوانان بهائی در ایران

http://aeenebahai116.info/node/2825

پیام مرکز جهانی بهائی مورخ 9 بهمن 1392

١١ شهرالسّلطان ١٧٠ 
۹ بهمن ١۳۹۲ 
جوانان عزیز و برومند بهائی در مهد امر الله ملاحظه فرمایند 

یک سال پیش در چنین ایّامی از جوانان بهائی در سراسر عالم دعوت نمودیم تا در بارۀ نقش مهمّ خود در فرایند احیای عالم و اتّحاد امم به تفکّر پردازند و به صفّ اوّل خادمان نوع بشر پیوندند. هم‌چنین یادآور شدیم که بی‌شمارند دیگر نفوسی که هم‌چون جوانان بهائی مشتاق وقف زندگی خود به بنای جهانی متّحد، مرفّه و عدالت‌پرور می‌باشند. سپس آنان را تشویق نمودیم تا در معیّت دوستان نزدیک‌شان برای تعمّق در مورد این مسئولیّت خطیر در یکی از ١١٤ کنفرانس‌ تاریخی و بی‌سابقه‌ای که در قارّات مختلف برگزار می‌شد شرکت جویند. 

حضور در این کنفرانس‌ها فرصت گران‌بهایی برای جوانان پیش آورد تا به توانایی‌های شگفت‌انگیز و قابلیّت‌های بی‌نظیری که مختصّ سنّ جوانی است بیندیشند و در بارۀ اثرات نامطلوب نیروهایی تأمّل نمایند که در این برهه از زمان نسل جوان را شدیداً تحت فشار قرار می‌دهد تا آنان را در دام مصرف‌گرایی گرفتار سازد، از تمسّک به ارزش‌های عالی انسانی و خدمت به نوع بشر باز دارد، از تلاش سازنده در جهت ایجاد تحوّلات بنیادین اجتماعی مأیوس نماید، و از ایمان به توان‌مندی‌های بی‌کران خود منصرف کند. شرکت‌کنندگان در این گردهمایی‌ها هم‌چنین به اندیشه پرداختند که چگونه می‌توان با پیامدهای این نیروهای منفی رویارویی نمود، چگونه می‌توان روابط دوستی و صمیمیّت برقرار ساخت و اتّحاد و اتّفاق ترویج داد، چگونه باید خود را با افکار و آرمان‌هایی مجهّز نمود تا بتوان با مساعی همگانی به تأسیس جهانی نو توفیق یافت که در عین تنوّع، به طراز صلح و صفا و یگانگی و رخا آراسته باشد. 

پاسخ تحسین‌آفرین جوانان بهائی و هزاران نفر از دوستان‌شان به این دعوت نشانی دیگر از تحقّق انتظارات جمال اقدس ابهی بود که نفوس در اوّل جوانی و ریعان شباب در راه خدمت به عالم امکان قیام نمایند. دست‌آورد اوّلیّۀ این کنفرانس‌ها از هر نظر چشم‌گیر بود، چه از جهت جهد و کوشش‌ِ فوق‌العاده و در مواردی قهرمانانه برای شرکت در آنها، چه از لحاظ عمق درک و بینشی که جوانان کسب نمودند و چه از نظر شوق و شور و عزم راسخی که برای خدمت به جوامع و تقلیب جهانیان به منصّۀ ظهور رساندند. 

تصاویر زیبا و اخبار امیدبخش این اجتماعات را بدون شک دیده و شنیده‌اید و شاید از نکات مطروحه آگاه شده و حتّی احتمالاً به قرائت متون مورد بحث در این کنفرانس‌ها توفیق یافته‌اید. حال نیز یقیناً از مطالعۀ موادّ و تفکّر در بارۀ مفاهیم و مقتضیات آن در زندگی و شرایط خاصّ خود، نیرویی جدید و انجذابی بدیع خواهید یافت. 

شما جوانان غیور مهد امر الله به خوبی واقفید که رسالت مقدّس شما آنست که در حلقۀ اطرافیان چون مشعلی فروزان نور امید بیفشانید، در بین مردمان پیک مهر و محبّت و دوستی و الفت گردید، در جمع هم‌وطنان نماد صبر و تحمّل و عفو و بخشش و اطمینان خاطر شوید، و از همه مهم‌تر، پیش‌گامانی فعّال در آن فرایندی باشید که قابلیّت و ظرفیّت خدمت را افزایش ‌می‌دهد، اتّحاد و اتّفاق را استحکام می‌بخشد و به کسب بینش و مهارت‌های لازم برای کوشش در جهت استقرار مدنیّتی جهانی و بهبود شرایط مادّی و معنوی جوامع بشری کمک ‌می‌نماید. با استفادۀ مؤثّر از این فرایند قدرت‌مند برای تقلیب روحانی و اجتماعی، جامعۀ بهائی آموخته است که اشتیاق به خدمت و به تفحّص در تعالیم الهی برای یافتن راه حلّ مشکلات نوع بشر را افزایش دهد. این تجربه و این دست‌آورد پیامدهای مفید و مقتضیات پردامنه‌ای برای زندگی فردی و حیات جمعی عالم انسانی دارد. 

این جمع البتّه از محرومیّت‌های بی‌پایان و محدودیّت‌های فراوان آن عزیزان آگاه است. همواره چه در تحصیل علوم، چه در کسب و کار برای امرار معاش، چه در سعی برای رسیدن به آرمان‌های شایسته و موجّه خود و حتّی در انجام فرایض دینی با مشکلات و ناملایمات لاتحصی رو به ‌رو هستید و آزادی‌تان با بی‌عدالتی‌های گوناگون پایمال می‌شود. مقدّر چنین بوده که هم‌وطنان حضرت بهاءالله از اوّل در حمل شداید و بلایا در راه بهبود عالم با آن مظهر ظهور الهی شریک و سهیم باشند. این بیان مبارک حضرت عبدالبهاء در حقّ فرد‌ فرد شما عزیزان صادق است که می‌فرمایند: "تأسّی به جمال مبارک نمودی و از بحر بلایای او قدحی نوشیدی." ولی به این واقعیّت هم به خوبی واقفید که دقیقاً همین پایداری در مقابله با ‌مشقّات است که موجب درخشش و تلألؤ جامعۀ اسم اعظم در آن سرزمین مقدّس گردیده است. مطمئن باشید که تنها صفحات تاریخ نیست که صلابت، شهامت و استقامت شما را بازگو خواهد کرد بلکه ارج و اهمّیّت جامعه‌ای که تحت تضییقات شدید و مستمرّ توانسته است هم‌چنان فعّال، پیشرو و متعهّد به خدمت به میهن عزیز خود باقی بماند، امروز از دیدگان تیزبین منصفان پوشیده نمانده است. شاید در حال حاضر روشن‌ترین و بارزترین نماد این استقامت سازنده پی‌گیری مجدّانۀ شما جهت کسب علم و دانش و پای‌بندی‌تان به ارزش‌های والای ایمان و خرد که تعالیم بهائی در شما القا نموده و پشت‌کارتان در ادامۀ تحصیلات عالی باشد. دنیا ناظر بر این واقعیّت است که جامعه‌ای ستم‌دیده به هیچ وجه حاضر نشده برچسب قربانی بودن را بر خود بپذیرد و در عوض، زنده و پویا و با اراده‌ای آهنین با والاترین مراتب هم‌بستگی و هم‌کاری عمل می‌نماید تا جوانانش کسب دانش و معرفت نمایند، به درجات عالی علمی نائل شوند و تمامی اجتماع از نتایج پیشرفت و ترقّی آنان بهره‌مند گردد. 

جمال قدم می‌فرمایند: "عالم منقلب است و انقلاب او یوماً فیوماً در تزاید و وجه آن بر غفلت و لامذهبی متوجّه و این فقره شدّت خواهد نمود و زیاد خواهد شد به شأنی که ذکر آن حال مقتضی نه." ملاحظه می‌فرمایید که چگونه نور ایمان در سراسر جهان رو به اخماد است. امّا رفتار و کردار و خلق و خوی شما برهانی است زنده از نورانیّتی که دین حقیقی می‌تواند به عالمِ وجود بخشد. دین اخلاق حمیده‌ ترویج می‌دهد، تحمّل و بردباری، شفقت و محبّت، و بخشش و بزرگواری عطا می‌کند، تفکّری مترقّی و متعالی القا می‌نماید، آزار و اذیّت به دیگران را بالکلّ نهی می‌کند و افراد را به جان‌فشانی در راه خیر عموم دعوت می‌نماید. دین به افراد می‌آموزد که جهان‌بین باشند نه خودبین، از تعصّبات احتراز نمایند، به تأسیس اتّحاد و یگانگی در بین نوع بشر پردازند، در راه رفاه مادّی و معنوی همگان کوشند، سعادت خود را در خوشبختی دیگران بینند، علم و دانش را انتشار دهند، اسباب وجد و سرور حقیقی شوند و عالم انسانی را حیاتی تازه بخشند. دین آیینۀ قلب را صیقل می‌دهد تا خصایل روحانی مودوعه در وجود را منعکس نماید، قوای منبعثه از صفات الهی در زندگی فردی و جمعی بندگان ظاهر ‌شود و پیدایش نظم اجتماعی نوینی را مدد بخشد. این است مفهوم واقعیِ دین در تعالیم حضرت بهاءالله. الحمد لله که شما عزیزان پیوسته می‌کوشید تا زندگی خویش را بر اساس تعالیم عالیه و مبادی سامیه‌اش بنا نهید. 

در اعتاب مقدّسۀ علیا به یاد شما به دعا مشغولیم. 

[امضا: بیت العدل اعظم]

THE PITIFUL CAUSES OF WAR

But war is made for the satisfaction of men’s ambition; for the sake of worldly gain to the few, terrible misery is brought to numberless homes, breaking the hearts of hundreds of men and women!

How many widows mourn their husbands, how many stories of savage cruelty do we hear! How many little orphaned children are crying for their dead fathers, how many women are weeping for their slain sons! There is nothing so heart-breaking and terrible as an outburst of human savagery!
I charge you all that each one of you concentrate all the thoughts of your heart on love and unity. When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. 
Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content. Thoughts of love are constructive of brotherhood, peace, friendship, and happiness.

`Abdu'l-Bahá: Paris Talks

We will pray that the ...

We will pray that the ensign of international peace may be uplifted and that the oneness of the world of humanity may be realized and accomplished. All this is made possible and practicable through your efforts. May this American

democracy be the first nation to establish the foundation of international agreement. May it be the first nation to proclaim the universality of mankind. May it be the first to upraise the standard of the Most Great Peace, and through this nation of democracy may these philanthropic intentions and institutions be spread broadcast throughout the world. Truly, this is a great and revered nation. Here liberty has reached its highest degree. The intentions of its people are most praiseworthy. They are, indeed, worthy of being the first to build the Tabernacle of the Most Great Peace and proclaim the oneness of mankind. I will supplicate God for assistance and confirmation in your behalf.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: The Promulgation of Universal Peace

Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh

By heavenly armies those souls are intended who are entirely freed from the human world, transformed into celestial spirits and have become divine angels. Such souls are the rays of the Sun of Reality who will illumine all the continents...
These souls are the armies of God and the conquerors of the East and the West. Should one of them turn his face toward some direction and summon the people to the Kingdom of God, all the ideal forces and lordly confirmations will rush to his support and reinforcement. He will behold all the doors open and all the strong fortifications and impregnable castles razed to the ground. Singly and alone he will attack the armies of the world, defeat the right and left wings of the hosts of all the countries, break through the lines of the legions of all the nations and carry his attack to the very center of the powers of the earth. This is the meaning of the Hosts of God.
Any soul from among the believers of Bahá’u’lláh who attains to this station, will become known as the Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh.

Selected Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Photo and the chart was obtained from Baha'i Points of Interest.

... polish the mirrors of our hearts ...

The light of the sun becomes apparent in each object according to the capacity of that object. The difference is simply one of degree and receptivity. The stone would be a recipient only to a limited extent; another created thing might be as a mirror wherein the sun is fully reflected; but the same light shines upon both.
The most important thing is to polish the mirrors of hearts in order that they may become illumined and receptive of the divine light. One heart may possess the capacity of the polished mirror; another be covered and obscured by the dust and dross of this world. Although the same Sun is shining upon both, in the mirror which is polished, pure and sanctified you may behold the Sun in all its fullness, glory and power revealing its majesty and effulgence, but in the mirror which is rusted and obscured there is no capacity for reflection although so far as the Sun itself is concerned it is shining thereon and is neither lessened nor deprived. Therefore our duty lies in seeking to polish the mirrors of our hearts in order that we shall become reflectors of that light and recipients of the divine bounties which may be fully revealed through them.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Bahá’í World Faith

... a sign of the revelation of God.

Know thou that every created thing is a sign of the revelation of God. Each, according to its capacity, is, and will ever remain, a token of the Almighty. Inasmuch as He, the sovereign Lord of all, hath willed to reveal His sovereignty in the kingdom of names and attributes, each and every created thing hath, through the act of the Divine Will, been made a sign of His glory. So pervasive and general is this revelation that nothing whatsoever in the whole universe can be discovered that doth not reflect His splendor. Under such conditions every consideration of proximity and remoteness is obliterated…. Were the Hand of Divine power to divest of this high endowment all created things, the entire universe would become desolate and void.
Meditate on what the poet hath written: “Wonder not, if my Best-Beloved be closer to me than mine own self; wonder at this, that I, despite such nearness, should still be so far from Him.”

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Suffering and the Future of Iran

Payam Akhavan,
Associate Professor, McGill University

To understand the power of suffering, we should consider the story of a man who for many years languished in prison because of his ideals of justice and human dignity. He wrote in his memoirs, "The cell is an ideal place to learn to know yourself, honesty, sincerity, simplicity, humility, pure generosity, absence of vanity, readiness to serve others -- qualities which are within easy reach of every soul -- are the foundation of one's spiritual life."
 And when he was released from prison after 27 bitter years, he wrote, "As I walked out the door toward the gate that would lead to my freedom, I knew if I didn't leave my bitterness and hatred behind, I'd still be in prison."
 This man was a great man. He was a powerful man because he allowed his suffering to make him a leader among his people, a leader among nations, whose leadership was built on his exemplary humanity rather than wealth or status or violence. This man was Nelson Mandela. He was a champion that ushered in a better and once unimaginable future for South Africa because of his refusal to let suffering suffocate his humanity.
 Let us also look at our own champions such as Nasrin Sotoudeh. She wrote to her little girl from prison with confidence that the pain we "have had to endure over the past few years is not in vain." "Justice arrives exactly at a time when most have given up hope," she continued. "It arrives when we least expect it ... If you are upset with the interrogators and judges ... bestow peace and tranquility upon them with your childlike melody so that as a result we too can achieve much deserved tranquillity and peace of mind."
 We must pause and ask: Who has the greater power? Nasrin Sotoudeh or her torturers?

Full article. 

Social and economic development

The Bahá’í community’s commitment to social and economic development is rooted in its sacred scriptures, which state that all human beings “have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization.” Bahá’u’lláh wrote, “Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.”
`Abdu'l-Bahá wrote, "We should continually be establishing new bases for human happiness and creating and promoting new instrumentalities toward this end. How excellent, how honorable is man if he arises to fulfil his responsibilities; how wretched and contemptible, if he shuts his eyes to the welfare of society and wastes his precious life in pursuing his own selfish interests and personal advantages. Supreme happiness is man’s, and he beholds the signs of God in the world and in the human soul, if he urges on the steed of high endeavor in the arena of civilization and justice."

`Abdu'l-Bahá: The Secret of Divine Civilization

A New Vision for Humanity's Future

One of the most distinctive aspects of the worldwide Bahá'í community is the hopeful and yet pragmatic way in which its members face the future. Far from fearing it, Bahá'ís the world over are dedicated to creating a new and peaceful world civilization based on principles of justice, prosperity, and continuing advancement. This vision reflects not only an appreciation for humanity's historic longing for peace and collective well-being, but also our understanding that humanity as a whole has now reached a new level of maturity. That it is possible to create societies founded upon cooperation, trust, and genuine concern for others is at the heart of Bahá'í belief and action. Indeed, Bahá'ís believe that humanity is on the verge of an evolutionary leap that will carry humankind to a future where "world peace is not only possible but inevitable."

 Read more.

Menace of Social Chaos

We have but to turn our eyes to the world without to realize the fierceness and the magnitude of the forces of darkness that are struggling with the dawning light of the Abhá Revelation. Nations, though exhausted and disillusioned, have seemingly begun to cherish anew the spirit of revenge, of domination, and strife. Peoples, convulsed by economic upheavals, are slowly drifting into two great opposing camps with all their menace of social chaos, class hatreds, and worldwide ruin. Races, alienated more than ever before, are filled with mistrust, humiliation and fear, and seem to prepare themselves  for a fresh and fateful encounter. Creeds and religions, caught in this whirlpool of conflict and passion, appear to gaze with impotence and despair at this spectacle of unceasing turmoil.
Such is the plight of mankind three years after the passing of Him from whose lips fell unceasingly the sure message of a fast-approaching Divine salvation. Are we by our thoughts, our words, our deeds, whether individually or collectively, preparing the way? Are we hastening the advent of the Day He so often foretold?

Shoghi Effendi: Bahá’í Administration

O Thou Provider!

O Thou Provider! Thou hast breathed over the friends in the West the sweet fragrance of the Holy Spirit, and with the light of divine guidance Thou hast lit up the western sky. Thou hast made those who were once remote to draw near unto Thyself; Thou hast turned strangers into loving friends; Thou hast awakened those who slept; Thou hast made the heedless mindful.
O Thou Provider! Assist Thou these noble friends to win Thy good pleasure, and make them well-wishers of stranger and friend alike. Bring them into the world that abideth forever; grant them a portion of heavenly grace; cause them to be true Bahá’ís, sincerely of God; save them from outward semblances, and establish them firmly in the truth. Make them signs and tokens of the Kingdom, luminous stars above the horizons of this nether life. Make them to be a comfort and a solace to humankind and servants to the peace of the world. Exhilarate them with the wine of Thy counsel, and grant that all of them may tread the path of Thy commandments.
O Thou Provider! The dearest wish of this servant of Thy Threshold is to behold the friends of east and west in close embrace; to see all the members of human society gathered with love in a single great assemblage, even as individual drops of water collected in one mighty sea; to behold them all as birds in one garden of roses, as pearls of one ocean, as leaves of one tree, as rays of one sun.
Thou art the Mighty, the Powerful, and Thou art the God of strength, the Omnipotent, the All-Seeing.

Selections From the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Meditate on what the poet hath written:

Meditate on what the poet hath written: “Wonder not, if my Best-Beloved be closer to me than mine own self; wonder at this, that I, despite such nearness, should still be so far from Him.”… Considering what God hath revealed, that “We are closer to man than his life-vein,” the poet hath, in allusion to this verse, stated that, though the revelation of my Best-Beloved hath so permeated my being that He is closer to me than my life-vein, yet, notwithstanding my certitude of its reality and my recognition of my station, I am still so far removed from Him. By this he meaneth that his heart, which is the seat of the All-Merciful and the throne wherein abideth the splendor of His revelation, is forgetful of its Creator, hath strayed from His path, hath shut out itself from His glory, and is stained with the defilement of earthly desires.
It should be remembered in this connection that the one true God is in Himself exalted beyond and above proximity and remoteness. His reality transcendeth such limitations. His relationship to His creatures knoweth no degrees. That some are near and others are far is to be ascribed to the manifestations themselves.

Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh

Nothing but the abundance of our actions...

None can deny that the flame of faith and love which His mighty hand kindled in many hearts has, despite our bereavement, continued to burn as brightly and steadily as ever before. Who can question that His loved ones, both in the East and the West, notwithstanding the insidious strivings of the enemies of the Cause, have displayed a spirit of unshakable loyalty worthy of the highest praise? What greater perseverance and fortitude than that which His tried and trusted friends have shown in the face of untold calamities, intolerable oppression, and incredible restrictions? But such staunchness of faith, such an unsullied love, such magnificent loyalty, such heroic constancy, such noble courage, however unprecedented and laudable in themselves, cannot alone lead us to the final and complete triumph of such a great Cause. Not until the dynamic love we cherish for Him is sufficiently reflected in its power and purity in all our dealings with our fellow-men, however remotely connected and humble in origin, can we hope to exalt in the eyes of a self-seeking world the genuineness of the all-conquering love of God.
Not until we live ourselves the life of a true Bahá’í can we hope to demonstrate the creative and transforming potency of the Faith we profess. Nothing but the abundance of our actions, nothing but the purity of our lives and the integrity of our characters, can in the last resort establish our claim that the Bahá’í spirit is in this day the sole agency that can translate a long-cherished ideal into an enduring achievement.

Shoghi Effendi: Bahá’í Administration