Hasten, hasten to friendship (continued)
“Anyone who scrutinizes the truth of the history that uncovers the facts within the secrets of the earlier centuries will realize that Moses, peace be upon Him, saved the children of Israel from degradation and captivity, and cultivated them with heavenly confirmations until He led them to the apex of glory and loftiness. He paved the way to the greatest happiness. God bestowed His favour upon them, and after they were deemed low in the land He made them leaders and heirs of the Book. They became standard bearers of sound judgment, and among them were great men and prophets who established their happiness and welfare. This is clear proof of His prophethood.
“As to Christ, the Word of God and the Spirit of God, He was sent among a people degraded, whose voices were humbled and necks laid low by the Romans. Into them He breathed the spirit of life, and revived them from their demise, and made them spiritual leaders in the land; the Romans surrendered to them, Greece submitted to them, and their fame hath pervaded the world until now.
“Muhammad, the Chosen Apostle of God—Him God sent unto a barren valley, among hostile tribes, amid warring peoples fallen into the abyss of ignorance, deprived of any knowledge, dispersed in the deserts of Arabia and dwelling in the midst of desert sands and subsisting on the milk of camels and dates and grapes. His mission was as the breathing of life into a dead body or the lighting of a shining lamp in a dark obscurity. Consequently, that vast, empty, barren desert became illumined by that resplendent light shining out over the region.
“The people arose from the deep sleep of perversity, they became illumined by the light of guidance in those days, they became broad minded, and their souls became refreshed, they became delighted with the verses of the oneness of their Lord which were chanted to them in marvelous melodies. This exalted effusion of spirit led them to success and to the apex of greatness, and thus the fame of their virtues reached faraway lands, and they became shining stars.
“Consider, therefore, these signs that disclose secrets, and give a just judgment that that August Man was at the origin of the greatness of those insignificant people and the light of guidance to tribes that were immersed in the darkness of fantasy until He led them to the apogee of glory and prosperity, and gave them a good life in this world and hereafter. Is not this unusual, wonderful power sufficient proof of His brilliant prophethood?
“By God, every just person will attest with absolute certainty that those Men were emblems of guidance among people and banners of wondrous prodigy waving in every direction over the towers of glory. That Distinguished Company gained insight and guided, obtained enlightenment and radiated light, was inspired and shone the light of revelation upon the world of the intellect. Those Brilliant Stars on the horizon of truth became united, harmonious and in agreement. Every Predecessor gave the good news of His Successor and every Successor attested the true prophethood of His Predecessor. Why are ye then in disagreement, why do ye dispute and make strife amongst yourselves? Ye have a good example in these luminous manifestations, these expressions of the All-Merciful, the Company of God. Is it possible after this proof to doubt and to hold on to vain imaginations more fragile than a spider’s web?
“O people! Hasten, hasten to friendship, leave hatred and enmity aside, leave disputes, investigate the truth of what happened in the past. If ye agree with each other ye gain, but if ye disagree ye deviate from the right path and overlook truth and reason, and plunge into the ocean of your whims and delusions. This is ruinous perversity, but if ye unite and mix and befriend each other, God will strengthen you with peace, concord, love and a good life, eternal loftiness and everlasting happiness.
“Peace be upon them who follow the right path.”
A short commentary:
It is worth noting that reflecting on ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks and analyzing their import is for more than the celebration of their centenary. It is to highlight the close connection they have to the present conditions of the world—a connection perhaps more striking than that we observe with conditions a century ago. The main problems that have produced the world crisis have not been solved. On the contrary, they have multiplied and become more complicated despite the efforts deployed by the world’s leaders, experts and scholars. There is no doubt that many of these measures have been sincerely implemented, yet to no avail. The failure of these plans—which have been drawn up with the benefit of past experience—indicates not only that the inherited traditions received from the former generations have lost their original relevance, but also that in attachment to them may lie the cause of the crisis we are presently enduring.
The talk ‘Abdu’l-Bahá gave in Thonon-les-Bains was the first in a series of public talks intended to consolidate the work of the western Bahá’ís in their efforts to inform the public in their countries about the truth and principles of the Faith. The pivotal point of this talk is its call for the abandonment of contention and strife and for the peoples of the world to direct their steps towards friendship and concord.
Friendship and concord, in order to have a strong and lasting foundation, need auxiliary principles that insure their real accomplishment. The talk alludes in passing to such principles. This commentary confines its observations to only four, those which have a particular bearing on people’s awareness that their sense of belonging to the human family is their real identity and thus should be put at the head of all other concerns.
Recognition and acceptance of the fact that the make-up and conditions of our present world differ greatly from all that was known to past generations is the beginning of understanding the nature of the crisis of lack of trust and hatred surrounding our current existence. In this way, we can know its causes—causes that can be overcome solely with the assistance of the Concourse on high. The talks delivered by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá touch the essence of this crisis, which should be regarded as the mother of all crises. This is good reason to go back and, free from preconceived assumptions, and with true justice, look deeply into them.
A principle that should accompany friendship and concord has already been mentioned in the verse of the Qur’án cited in the talk under our attention: “Hath not the time come, for those who believe, to humble their hearts at the warning of God and at the truth which He hath sent down; and that they be not as those to whom the Scriptures were given heretofore, whose days were prolonged, but whose hearts were hardened, and many of them were perverse?” The meaning intended is that the time has come for the believers to humble themselves and obey the commands revealed by God. Delaying this obedience can only cause hardships and misery. The mentioned commands of God are the laws and decrees revealed by Bahá’u’lláh forty years before this talk. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá describes the said Revelation in these words: “[T]his century is radiated with resplendent lights, dazzling effusions, evident effects and brilliant signs. Light dispels darkness, light heals pain, light bids friendship come and chases discord away.”
The above mentioned verse of the Qur’án reveals the close relationship between the passage of time and the hardening of hearts, which prevents people from following and obeying the commands of God. There is a general rule that governs and determines the impact of time on people’s religious consciousness and their care to pattern their behaviour inwardly and outwardly in accord with the Word of God. The passage of time weakens the authority of religion in both private and public life. That is, the words of the Qur’án describe “a hardening of hearts” as people become less sensitive to any outside factor and remain prisoner to self, passion and desire. This is one of the reasons for the Divine Revelations to succeed one another at more or less regular intervals. “Know that God quickeneth the earth after its death! Now have we made these signs clear to you, that ye may understand.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s talk goes on to scrutinize the history of religions inductively in order to abstract a general rule which may function as a criterion for judgment: Moses revealed a religion which united the children of Israel and gave them respect among other nations. They became founders of civilizations and promoters of heavenly virtues, but for a certain time, after which they returned to their old ways. Jesus followed Him, and revealed a religion that united many nations, civilized their conduct and made them builders of civilizations and teachers of high morals. After a short time they returned to their old ways. Muhammad followed Moses and Jesus, and established a divine religion which educated the ignorant tribes of Arabia, disciplined their lives and made them teachers of other nations and promoters of heavenly morals, for a time, after which they returned to their old ways.
The general law reached by induction from this survey is that the Divine Revelations are able to change the conditions of backward nations, establish unity among them, teach them high morals and lofty ideals, but only for a determined time. This conclusion is related to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s exclamations at the beginning of His talk questioning the length of time it will take for the people to humble themselves and obey the Revelation that is come for this time and age.
The last idea that might be underlined was mentioned succinctly and indirectly within a statement of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s about the folding up of past hatred, strife and animosity as the new revelation of Bahá’u’lláh illumined this century. The connection drawn between hatred and strife and the past centuries indicates that specific characteristics distinguish the various phases of the development of mankind. The process of the collective growth of humanity is similar to the stages of individual growth from infancy to adolescence and then to maturity and adulthood. The early stages of individual growth are usually characterized by instinctive emotions, which lead to differences and contention, while the stage of maturity is distinguished by reason and discipline. That is to say, that now, as humanity is reaching its stage of adulthood, its collective conduct will be dominated by reason, and will favour unity and friendship among nations.
Obviously the change from one stage to another does not occur overnight, but because it is inevitable it is considered a sure event and stated as if it has already happened. The more people are aware of the process taking place in the world as it moves from one stage to another, the sooner its various societies will rid themselves of childish conduct and acquire the characteristics of maturity, and the sooner the unity of humankind will be established. The divine message revealed by Bahá’u’lláh to the world as the opening of a new cycle at the close of the Adamic cycle is now gradually leading the process of the maturation of humanity. It carries with it the age-old promises of permanent peace and unity, as slowly the attachment to past habits and ideas are uprooted from the minds of people.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá, the Centre of its Covenant and the Leader of “the Divine Caravan”, brought this light to the dark horizon of the West, ushering in “the century of light”. The task was urgent and arduous. Unless the illumination that appeared in the East reflect its lights upon the horizon of the West, the foundations of the unity of humankind could not be laid down. The deep-rooted hate and prejudice that dominated relations between East and West, and the remnants of suspicion from past wars made even this preliminary task appear impossible. In addition to this, there were conflicts of interest between the countries of the West, with their well developed industries and advanced agriculture, and those of the East, where education had fallen behind, causing delays in industrialization and impeding the development of agriculture, in which they continued to use the instruments known to them since medieval times. Furthermore, poverty and need made the East a prey for exploiters and colonizers.
The way was prepared by the Centre of the Covenant when the early western believers made their first pilgrimages to ‘Akká in 1898. He nursed those first buds with such care that upon their return home or travel to new centres they were able to produce great changes—developing Bahá’í qualities and starting systematic teaching.
The unprecedented spiritual venture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was not limited to the proclamation of the teachings of the new religion revealed by Bahá’u’lláh and the promulgation of His world order—that will change the world in the near future. He deepened the knowledge of the believers in these teachings, for they are the base-stones of the coming world civilization and the pillars of the unity of mankind.
During His visit to United States, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá laid the cornerstone of the Mother Temple of the West. He has explained the significance of building a Mashriqu’l-Adhkár: “The Mashriqu’l-Adhkár is one of the most vital institutions in the world, and it hath many subsidiary branches. Although it is a House of Worship, it is also connected with a hospital, a drug dispensary, a traveller’s hospice, a school for orphans, and a university for advanced studies.”3 This definition of the Mashriqu’l-Adhkár translates the Bahá’í conception and meaning of religion: It is a force that satisfies the needs of the human being to preserve the well-being of his body, develop the capacities of his mind, and provide him the means to purify his soul.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s concern during this long and fatiguing journey, which crowned the century of light, was to remind the believers that the knowledge of the principles and teachings is not enough. Such knowledge must be joined with resolve and action:
“O Friends! The Cause is great, great! The victory is sublime, sublime! The century is glorious, glorious, and the lights encompass the lands! Arise with a divine power, gracious intention, the determination of the Kingdom, merciful attributes, mighty resolve, and reliance on the one God. Busy yourselves with service to the Cause of God. Utter the praises of God. Spread the fragrances of God. Acquire the divine attributes of God. Robe yourselves in the garments of angels and adorn yourselves with the virtues that are the ornaments of the human reality.…”4
This is but a brief summary of a few of the opening marvels that made the twentieth century the century of light. We will have occasion in future to continue discussion about that magnificent century that received in its first decades such enduring and unique illumination from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s deeds and words, His example and His writings.
The above-cited talk, like all Abdu’l-Bahá’s talks, contains a vision that transcends the time of its delivery and is directed far beyond the assembled people who heard it uttered. It therefore behooves us to go back to it, and ponder on its ideas in the light of the increasing strife and hate in the world and the weakening of the forces of religion amongst the people of the East, as well as those of the West. It is a talk that carries a glad and reassuring message for the people of our time calling upon them to abandon the fantasies on which the generations have held for over one hundred years—the partial solutions and dispersed attempts to put an end to the accumulating crises of a world order on its way to expiry, unless the people of the present generation hasten to take up the principles for the coming new phase, of which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá mentioned and described the “resplendent lights, dazzling effusions, evident effects and brilliant signs.”
Notes
1. The Qur’án 67:3.
2. The Qur’án 57:16.
3. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Bahá’í World Centre, 1978), no. 64, pp. 99-100.
4. Min Makatíb ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Volume I (Rio de Janeiro: Dar’u’l-Nashr Albahá’íyyih bil Brázíl, 1982), no. 52, p. 136. (Personal and provisional translation.)