The future civilization envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh

 

The future civilization envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh is a prosperous one, in which the vast resources of the world will be directed towards humanity’s elevation and regeneration, not its debasement and destruction. The act of contributing to the Fund, then, is imbued with profound meaning: it is a practical way of hastening the advent of that civilization, and a necessary one, for as Bahá’u’lláh Himself has explained, “He Who is the Eternal Truth—exalted be His glory—hath made the fulfilment of every undertaking on earth dependent on material means.” Bahá’ís conduct their lives in the midst of a society acutely disordered in its material affairs. The process of community building they are advancing in their clusters cultivates a set of attitudes towards wealth and possessions very different from those holding sway in the world. The habit of regularly giving to the Funds of the Faith—including in-kind contributions particularly in certain places—arises from and reinforces a sense of personal concern for the welfare of the community and the progress of the Cause.
The duty to contribute, just like the duty to teach, is a fundamental aspect of Bahá’í identity which strengthens faith. The sacrificial and generous contributions of the individual believer, the collective consciousness promoted by the community of the needs of the Fund, and the careful stewardship of financial resources exercised by the institutions of the Faith can be regarded as expressions of the love that binds these three actors more closely together. And ultimately, voluntary giving fosters an awareness that managing one’s financial affairs in accordance with spiritual principles is an indispensable dimension of a life lived coherently. It is a matter of conscience, a way in which commitment to the betterment of the world is translated into practice.

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
 29 December 2015 To the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors

محل ظهور شاه بهرام مشرق زمین و کشور مقدس ایران است

با بشاراتی که حضرت زرتشت در مورد ظهور حضرت شاه بهرام ورجاوند فرموده اند
 محقق است که این کوکب لامع بایستی از مشرق زمین و از کشور مقدس ایران که زادگاه حضرت زرتشت می باشد، طلوع فرموده و به نبوات آن حضرت تحقق بخشد. آئین بهائی با نوعی منطق روحانی به آینده نوع بشر نوید داده و در چهارچوب این پژوهش آینده است که درباره ایران که گاهواره نخستین این آئین است به تفصیل سخن گفته و به صراحت و قاطعیت پیش بینی کرده که جامعه ایران، در آینده ایام عزیزترین جوامع دنیا خواهد شد و حکومتش به عنوان محترم ترین حکومات عالم تلقی خواهد گشت. لوحی زیبا و شیرین که به زبان مناجات به قلم حضرت عبدالبهاء نگاشته شده ذیلا نقل میگردد:
 " هوالله، پاک یزدانا خاک ایران را از آغاز مشکبیز فرمودی و شورانگیز و دانش خیز و گوهر ریز، از خاورش همواره خورشیدت نورافشان و در باخترش ماه تابان نمایان، کشورش مهرپرور و دشت بهشت آسایش پرگل و گیاه و کهسارش پر از میوه تازه و تر و چمن زارش رشک باغ بهشت، هوشش پیغام سروش وجوشش چون دریای ژرف پرخروش، روزگاری بود که آتش دانشش خاموش شد و اختر بزرگواریش پنهان در زیر روپوش، باد بهارش خزان شد و گلزار دلربایش خارزار، چشمه شیرینش شور گشت و بزرگان نازنینش آواره و در به در هر کشور دور، پرتوش تاریک شد و رودش آب باریک . تا آنکه دریای بخششت به جوش آمد و آفتاب دهش دمید، بهار تازه رسید و باد جان پرور وزید و ابر بهمن بارید و پرتو آن مهرپرور تابید. کشور بجنبید و خاکدان گلستان شد و خاک سیاه رشک بوستان گشت. جهان جهانی تازه شد و آوازه بلند گشت و دشت و کهسار سبز و خرم شد و مرغان چمن به ترانه و آهنگ همدم شدند. هنگام شادمانی

است ، پیغام آسمانی است ، بنگاه جاودانی است، بیدار شو بیدار شو..."(15) همچنین حضرت عبدالبهاء در لوحی خطاب به یکی از پارسیان می فرماید:
 " هوالله، ای سروش پر بشارت، نامه خوش اشارت در نهایت فصاحت و بلاغت بیان اسرار بود و دلیل بر خلوص نیت و محبت پروردگار. حمد کن خدا را که آهنگ سروش شنیدی و شاهنشهی شاه بهرام بدیدی و مانند مرغ چمن به گلشن حقیقت پریدی و بر سرو و سمن گلبانگ اسرار معنوی بلند نمودی. حال شیفته روی آن دلبری و آشفته آن موی معنبر، عاشقان را آه و فغان لازم و مشتاقان را انین و حنین مستدیم و واجب، پس تا توانی آواز بلند کن و شهناز بزن و مرغان چمن را بیدار کن و در سحرگاه به نغمات خوش دمساز نما و علیک البهاء الابهی.ع ع
" (16) حضرت بهاءالله که از سلاله نجبا و بزرگان و اهل نور مازندران بودند در شب دوم محرم 1233 شمسی مطابق با 12 اکتبر 1817 میلادی در طهران متولد شدند و در سال 1268 شمسی مطابق با 1852 میلادی از طرف خداوند به رسالت برانگیخته شده و آیات الهی بر ایشان نازل گردید و ندای ربانی را از ایران بلند نمودند و در مدت 39 سال دوران رسالت خود با نزول آیات و الواح و دستورات الهی ابناء بشر و جمیع ملل را به وحدت عالم انسانی و صلح عمومی و ترک کلیه تعصبات دعوت فرمودند . با توجه به اینکه حضرت زردشت محکم ترین برهان را کلام و کتاب الهی می دانند و در کتاب دینکرد می فرمایند :" یکی از براهین و حجت ها و معجزات من این کتاب است."(17) و در جای دیگر خداوند به زردشت چنین فرمود:"کتابی که فرو فرستادم در جهان کسی از فصحا و بلغا و علما و حکما چنین سخن نیارد گفت، اگر توانند بگویند ، چون عاجز شوند دانند قول یزدان است..."(18) و در مورد آتشی که حضرت زردشت همراه داشت ، حضرت عبدالبهاء می فرماید:" آن کتاب و کلام الله بود که در دست حضرت بود و نفوذ و اثر کلمات الهی از آتش ظاهره سوزنده تر و قلوب انسان که به منزله آتشکده است چون پرتوی از آن آتش گیرد ، میل و هواهای نفس را بسوزاند و انسان را به قرب الهی کشاند و به فیوضاتش بهره مند سازد."(19) حضرت بهاءالله یا شاه بهرام ورجاوند نیز با همان کتاب و همان بیان و احکام اهل عالم را به اتحاد و اتفاق و دوستی و محبت دعوت نموده و به این بیان ناطق:" سراپرده یگانگی بلند شد، به چشم بیگانگان یکدیگر را نبینید ، همه بار یک دارید و برگ یک شاخسار." و نه تنها حکم جنگ و جدال و قتل و قتال و تنفر و انزجار را که در ادیان ماضیه مستولی بر جهان بشری بود ، نسخ و منع فرمودند بلکه بر این حکم متین تاکید نمودند" که اگر دین سبب اختلاف و نفاق گردد ، البته بی دینی بهتر است" و به این وسیله پیروان آئین اهورائی را از هرگونه دونیت و نفاق و کافر و نجس دانستن یکدیگر منع و برحذر داشتند و خصومت و دشمنی و دوگانگی را گناه عظیم شمردند. با اعلان فرامین و دستورات آن حضرت ، شمشیرها به غلاف راجع و لغات " اقتلو و قاتلوهم" از قاموس لغات دین الهی و آئین بهی الانوار شاه بهرام ورجاوند محو گردید. چون خاک ایران موطن حضرت بهاءالله و محل طلوع شمس حقیقت می باشد ، بهائیان خاک ایران را که هر نقطه آن شاهد فداکاریها و جانبازیهای پیروان آئین بهائی بوده عزیز و گرامی می دارند و مستقبل این مرز و بوم را معزز و محترم می دانند. حضرت عبدالبهاء در یکی از الواح می فرماید:"... بهائیان چنان ایران را در انظار جلوه داده اند که امروز جم غفیری از اقالیم سبعه پرستش ایران می نمایند، زیرا شمس حقیقت از آن افق طلوع نموده و وطن مقدس حضرن بهاءالله است. ملاحظه کنید که چه موهبتی حضرت یزدان در حق ایران و ایرانیان فرمود..."(20) و در لوحی دیگر می فرماید :"پروردگار عالمیان محض فضل و احسان هیکل ایران را به خلعتی مفتخر فرمود، و ایرانیان را تاجی بر سر نهاده که جواهر زواهراش بر قرون و اعصار بتابد و آن ظهور این امر بدیع است...مشیت الهیه تعلق گرفته و قوه معنویه در ایران نبعان نموده. هذا امر محتوم و وعد غیر مکذوب."(21) و در بیانی دیگر می فرماید:" مستقبل ایران در نهایت شکوه و عظمت و بزرگواری است. زیرا موطن جمال مبارک ( از القاب حضرت بهاءالله) است. جمیع اقالیم عالم توجه و نظر احترام به ایران خواهند نمود و یقین بدانید چنان ترقی نماید که انظار جمیع اعاظم و دانایان عالم حیران ماند. هذا بشارة کبری، بلغها لمن تشاء و هذا وعد غیر مکذوب.(22) با توجه به اینکه حضرت بهاءالله ایرانی نسب و کشور مقدس ایران مطلع این کوکب لامع است، بهائیان جهان سرزمین ایران را مقدس می دانند و هموطنان حضرت بهاءالله را محترم می شمارند. به آداب و رسوم ایرانیان، خصوصا مهمان نوازی را که از نیاکان خود به ارث برده اند به دیده احترام می نگرند. همچنین با ظهور شاه بهرام ورجاوند از ایران و انتشار تعالیم و احکامش در سراسر جهان بعضی از آداب و سنن ایرانی منجمله عید نوروز که یادگاری از کیان ایران باستان است در کلیه اقالیم جهان به نام نوروز جشن گرفته می شود. و مقدار زیادی از کلمات و لغات و اصطلاحات زبان فارسی همراه با آیات و الواح نازله از قلم حضرت بهاءالله و حضرت عبدالبهاء مصطلح بین پیروان آئین بهائی در سراسر جهان گردیده است. ایران نه تنها مورد توجه و تکریم همه بهائیان جهان بوده و هست، به این اعتبار که آئین شان از این سرزمین سرچشمه گرفته، بلکه از آن جهت که بیشتر آثار بهائی به زبان فارسی است و در آثار بهائی تأثیر آشکاری از ادبیات پرمایه ایران خصوصا ادبیات عرفانی و تمثیل ها و تشبیهات و دیگر صنایع بدیع شعر و نثر فارسی به چشم می خورد، موثر در ادبیات بهائی در سایر سرزمین های عالم مشاهده شده است و نیز بسیاری از بهائیان غربی را به آموختن زبان فارسی به منظور دسترسی به سرچشمه آیات الهی و درک بهتر و استفاده بیشتر از این آثار برانگیخته است. حضرت عبدالبهاء درباره مستقبل ایران میفرمایند: " ... عنقریب ملاحظه خواهد شد که دولت وطنی جمال مبارک در جمیع بسیط زمین محترم ترین حکومات خواهد گشت. ان فی ذلک عبرة للناظرین. و ایران معمورترین بقاع عالم خواهد شد. ان هذا لفضل عظیم".(23) علیهذا کسانی که ایران را دوست دارند و سربلندی و سرافرازی آن را آرزو می کنند و به پیشرفت و ترقی آن اهمیت می دهند باید مطمئن باشند که ایران معززترین حکومات عالم و مورد غبطه جهانیان خواهد شد. زیرا مهد آئین اهورائی و مظهر ظهور انوار ورهرام بوده و مورد
توجه جهانیان خواهد گردید.

http://aeenebahai.org/fa/node/4579/%D9%85%D8%AD%D9%84-%D8%B8%D9%87%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D9%87-%D8%A8%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%85-%D9%85%D8%B4%D8%B1%D9%82-%D8%B2%D9%85%DB%8C%D9%86-%D9%88-%DA%A9%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D8%B3-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%AA

COHERENCE BETWEEN THE SPIRITUAL AND MATERIAL

The emergence of the materially and spiritually prosperous global civilization associated with humanity’s age of maturity requires that the practical and spiritual aspects of life advance harmoniously together. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá states that while “material civilization is one of the means for the progress of the world of mankind,” until it is “combined with Divine civilization, the desired result, which is the felicity of mankind, will not be attained.”He continues:

Material civilization is like a lamp-glass. Divine civilization is the lamp itself and the glass without the light is dark. Material civilization is like the body. No matter how infinitely graceful, elegant and beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it becomes a corpse. It has thus been made evident that the world of mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness.

 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Abdu'l-Baha at Christmas - A Story from the Baha'i Faith

This animation shares some short vignettes and accounts of Abdu'l-Baha's travels in the west during the Christmas season. The accounts are from 'God Passed By' by Shoghi Effendi, and 'Abdu'l-Baha - The Centre of the Covenant' by H.M. Balyuzi.
We are thankful to George Ronald Publisher, who owns the copyright of H.M. Balyuzi's book, for their permission for this video.
To find out more about George Ronald Publisher visit https://grbooks.com

The spiritual reality of man

 

A foundational concept to explore in this context is the spiritual reality of man. In the Revelation of Baha'u'Uah, the nobility inherent to every human being is unequivocally asserted; it is a fundamental tenet of Baha'i belief, upon which hope for the future of humankind is built. The soul's capacity to manifest all the names and attributes of God—He Who is the Compassionate, the Bestower, the Bountiful—is repeatedly affirmed in the Writings.
Economic life is an arena for the expression of honesty, integrity, trustworthiness, generosity, and other qualities of the spirit. The individual is not merely a self-interested economic unit. striving to claim an ever-greater share of the world's material resources. "Man's merit lieth in service and virtue", Baha'u'llah avers, "and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches." And further: "Dissipate not the wealth of your precious lives in the pursuit of evil and corrupt affection, nor let your endeavours be spent in promoting your personal interest." By consecrating oneself to the service of others, one finds meaning and purpose in life and contributes to the upliftment of society itself.

At the outset of His celebrated treatise, The Secret of Divine Civilization, 'Abdu'l-Baha states: And the honour and distinction of the individual consist in this, that he among all the world's multitudes should become a source of social good. Is any larger bounty conceivable than this, that an individual, looking within himself, should find that by the confirming grace of God he has become the cause of peace and well-being, of happiness and advantage to his fellow men? No, by the one true God, there is no greater bliss, no more complete delight. 

THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
1 March 2017
To the Baha'is of the World

Contention, conflict, courtesy.

 

This Wronged One hath forbidden the people of God to engage in contention or conflict and hath exhorted them to righteous deeds and praiseworthy character. In this day the hosts that can ensure the victory of the Cause are those of goodly conduct and saintly character. Blessed are they who firmly adhere unto them and woe betide such as turn away therefrom.

 O people of God! I admonish you to observe courtesy, for above all else it is the prince of virtues. Well is it with him who is illumined with the light of courtesy and is attired with the vesture of uprightness. Whoso is endued with courtesy hath indeed attained a sublime station. It is hoped that this Wronged One and everyone else may be enabled to acquire it, hold fast unto it, observe it, and fix our gaze upon it. This is a binding command which hath streamed forth from the Pen of the Most Great Name.

Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
www.bahai.org/r/944336825

Supplication

 

  O GOD, my God! Thou seest how black darkness is enshrouding all regions, how all countries are burning with the flame of dissension, and the fire of war and carnage is blazing throughout the East and the West.  Blood is flowing, corpses bestrew the ground, and severed heads are fallen on the dust of the battlefield.

  O Lord! Have pity on these ignorant ones and look upon them with the eye of forgiveness and pardon. Extinguish this fire, so that these dense clouds which obscure the horizon may be scattered, the Sun of Reality shine forth with the rays of conciliation, this intense gloom be dispelled and the resplendent light of peace shed its radiance upon all countries.

  O Lord! Draw up the people from the abyss of the ocean of hatred and enmity, and deliver them from this impenetrable darkness. Unite their hearts, and brighten their eyes with the light of peace and reconciliation. Deliver them from the depths of war and bloodshed, and free them from the darkness of error. Remove the veil from their eyes, and enlighten their hearts with the light of guidance. Treat them with Thy tender mercy and compassion, and deal not with them according to Thy justice and wrath which cause the limbs of the mighty to quake.

  O Lord! Wars have persisted. Distress and anxiety have waxed great and every flourishing region is laid waste.

  O Lord! Hearts are heavy, and souls are in anguish. Have mercy on these poor souls and do not leave them to the excesses of their own desires.

  O Lord! Make manifest in Thy lands humble and submissive souls, their faces illumined with the rays of guidance, severed from the world, extolling Thy Name, uttering Thy praise, and diffusing the fragrance of Thy holiness amongst mankind.

  O Lord! Strengthen their backs, gird up their loins, and enrapture their hearts with the most mighty signs of Thy love.

  O Lord! Verily, they are weak, and Thou art the Powerful and the Mighty; they are impotent, and Thou art the Helper and the Merciful.

  O Lord! The ocean of rebellion is surging, and these tempests will not be stilled save through Thy boundless grace which hath embraced all regions.

  O Lord! Verily, the people are in the abyss of passion, and naught can save them but Thine infinite bounties.

  O Lord! Dispel the darkness of these corrupt desires, and illumine the hearts with the lamp of Thy love through which all countries will erelong be enlightened. Confirm, moreover, Thy loved ones, those who, leaving their homelands, their families and their children, have, for the love of Thy Beauty, traveled to foreign countries to diffuse Thy fragrances and promulgate Thy teachings. Be Thou their companion in their loneliness, their helper in a strange land, the remover of their sorrows, their comforter in calamity. Be Thou a refreshing draught for their thirst, a healing medicine for their ills and a balm for the burning ardor of their hearts.

  Verily, Thou art the Most Generous, the Lord of grace abounding, and, verily, Thou art the Compassionate and the Merciful.


`Abdu'l-Bahá Tablets of the Divine Plan P.57-58

The second condition: Fellowship and love amongst the believers.

 

The second condition: Fellowship and love amongst the believers. The divine friends must be attracted to and enamored of each other and ever be ready and willing to sacrifice their own lives for each other. Should one soul from amongst the believers meet another, it must be as though a thirsty one with parched lips has reached to the fountain of the water of life, or a lover has met his true beloved. For one of the greatest divine wisdoms regarding the appearance of the holy Manifestations is this: The souls may come to know each other and become intimate with each other; the power of the love of God may make all of them the waves of one sea, the flowers of one rose garden, and the stars of one heaven. This is the wisdom for the appearance of the holy Manifestations! When the most great bestowal reveals itself in the hearts of the believers, the world of nature will be transformed, the darkness of the contingent being will vanish, and heavenly illumination will be obtained. Then the whole world will become the Paradise of Abhá,  every one of the believers of God will become a blessed tree, producing wonderful fruits.   
O ye friends! Fellowship, fellowship! Love, love! Unity, unity!—so that the power of the Bahá’í Cause may appear and become manifest in the world of existence. My thoughts are turned towards you, and my heart leaps within me at your mention. Could ye know how my soul glows with your love, so great a happiness would flood your hearts as to cause you to become enamored with each other.


Abdu’l-Baha: Tabletsof the Divine Plan, pp. 53

The first condition is firmness in the Covenant of God.

 

The first condition is firmness in the Covenant of God. For the power of the Covenant will protect the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh from the doubts of the people of error. It is the fortified fortress of the Cause of God and the firm pillar of the religion of God. Today no power can conserve the oneness of the Bahá’í world save the Covenant of God; otherwise differences like unto a most great tempest will encompass the Bahá’í world. It is evident that the axis of the oneness of the world of humanity is the power of the Covenant and nothing else. Had the Covenant not come to pass, had it not been revealed from the Supreme Pen and had not the Book of the Covenant, like unto the ray of the Sun of Reality, illuminated the world, the forces of the Cause of God would have been utterly scattered and certain souls who were the prisoners of their own passions and lusts would have taken into their hands an axe, cutting the root of this Blessed Tree. Every person would have pushed forward his own desire and every individual aired his own opinion! Notwithstanding this great Covenant, a few negligent souls galloped with their chargers into the battlefield, thinking perchance they might be able to weaken the foundation of the Cause of God: but praise be to God all of them were afflicted with regret and loss, and erelong they shall see themselves in poignant despair. Therefore, in the beginning the believers must make their steps firm in the Covenant so that the confirmations of Bahá’u’lláh may encircle them from all sides, the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse may become their supporters and helpers, and the exhortations and advices of Abdu’l-Baha, like unto the pictures engraved on stone, may remain permanent and ineffaceable in the tablets of all hearts.

Abdu’l-Baha: Tabletsof the Divine Plan, pp. 51-52

How to attain spirituality

 

As you quite correctly appreciate, the fundamental purpose of all religion is the spiritual development of the souls of human beings. This is expressed in the Short Obligatory Prayer, and also there is the following very clear statement written on behalf of the beloved Guardian to an individual believer on 8 December 1935:

 How to attain spirituality is, indeed, a question to which every young man and woman must sooner or later try to find a satisfactory answer. It is precisely because no such satisfactory reply has been given or found, that modern youth finds itself bewildered, and is being consequently carried away by the materialistic forces that are so powerfully undermining the foundation of man’s moral and spiritual life.
 Indeed, the chief reason for the evils now rampant in society is a lack of spirituality. The materialistic civilization of our age has so much absorbed the energy and interest of mankind, that people in general no longer feel the necessity of raising themselves above the forces and conditions of their daily material existence. There is not sufficient demand for things that we should call spiritual to differentiate them from the needs and requirements of our physical existence. The universal crisis affecting mankind is, therefore, essentially spiritual in its causes. The spirit of the age, taken on the whole, is irreligious. Man’s outlook upon life is too crude and materialistic to enable him to elevate himself into the higher realms of the spirit...

The Universal House of Justice

 Department of the Secretariat
 12 June 1984 
 www.bahai.org/r/389778556

 

Ḥuqúqu’lláh (The Right of God) is a great law and a sacred institution . Laid down in the Most Holy Book (the Kitáb-i-Aqdas), it is one of the key instruments for constructing the foundation and supporting the structure of the World Order of Bahá’u’lláh. It has far-reaching ramifications that extend from promoting the welfare of the individual to buttressing the authority and extending the activity of the Head of the Faith. In providing a regular and systematic source of revenue for the Central Institution of the Cause, Bahá’u’lláh has assured the means for the independence and decisive functioning of the World Center of His Faith.
By identifying this law as “The Right of God,” Bahá’u’lláh has reemphasized the nature of the relationship between human beings and their Creator as a Covenant based on mutual assurances and obligations; and, by designating the Central Authority in the Cause, to which all must turn, as the recipient of this Right, He has created a direct and vital link between every individual believer and the Head of his Faith that is unique in the structure of His World Order.

 
 THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE
 DEPARTMENT OF THE SECRETARIAT
 26 November 2000