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Implications for Marriage
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Important determinants of the success of a marriage are the convictions of the couple concerning the purpose of life and its fulfillment. a couple’s commitment to and their expectations of each other are often based on this shared understanding of the purpose of life. these commitments and expectations will, in turn, affect their feelings and behavior
Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being
toward each other, thereby determining the quality of their relationship. this is true of human relationships in general, but it has particular significance for the marital relationship because of its extensive implications for the stability of the family and society.
Bahá’í marriage can best be understood in light of the Bahá’í teachings on god’s purpose for humanity. our primary purpose is to recognize the Manifestation of god for the day in which we live and to follow his laws. When a husband and wife make their marriage serve god’s purpose for humanity, it will be based on the spiritual reality of humanity and will therefore become a “fortress for well-being.”* as a divine institution, it will also provide
* Bahá’u’lláh, in Bahá’u’lláh, the Báb, and ‘abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Prayers, p. 118.
God’s Purpose for Humanity
all the essentials for fostering the spiritual and social development of children. thus, gaining a fuller understanding of god’s purpose for humanity is the best preparation for marriage and the most effective preserver of a marital union that has already been formed.
The first duty prescribed by God for His servants is the recognition of Him Who is the Dayspring of His Revelation and the Fountain of His laws, Who representeth the Godhead in both the Kingdom of His Cause and the world of creation. Whoso achieveth this duty hath attained unto all good. . . . —Bahá’u’lláh
(the Kitáb-i-aqdas, ¶1)
The purpose underlying all creation is the revelation of this most sublime, this most holy Day, the Day known
Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being
as the Day of God, in His Books and Scriptures. . . . —Bahá’u’lláh
(Quoted in The Advent of Divine Justice, ¶110)
The purpose of God in creating man hath been, and will ever be, to enable him to know his Creator and to attain His Presence.—Bahá’u’lláh
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, no. 29.1)
I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee.—Bahá’u’lláh
(Bahá’í Prayers, p. 4)
Having created the world and all that liveth and moveth therein, He, through the direct operation of His unconstrained and sovereign Will,
God’s Purpose for Humanity
chose to confer upon man the unique distinction and capacity to know Him and to love Him—a capacity that must needs be regarded as the generating impulse and the primary purpose underlying the whole of creation.—Bahá’u’lláh
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, no. 27.2)
All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and lovingkindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth.—Bahá’u’lláh
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, no. 109.2)
Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being
(the purpose of our lives is) to acquire virtues.—‘abdu’l-Bahá
(Paris Talks, no. 55.2)
Of the principles enshrined in these Tablets the most vital of them all is the principle of the oneness and wholeness of the human race, which may well be regarded as the hallmark of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation and the pivot of His teachings. Of such cardinal importance is this principle of unity that it is expressly referred to in the Book of His Covenant, and He unreservedly proclaims it as the central purpose of His Faith. —shoghi effendi
(God Passes By, pp. 216–17)
Because our spiritual progress and fulfillment depend upon an awareness and an acceptance of our purpose in
God’s Purpose for Humanity
life, the ideal conditions for marriage are those that assist men and women to know and love god and his creation, to acquire virtues, to promote the oneness of mankind,* and to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. When partners in marriage strive mutually to foster these aspirations in each other, sacrifice of self is required. When this is achieved they will find, in the words of ‘abdu’l-Bahá, “ideal relationship, union and happiness.” † When marriage partners are united, they are happier, more
* rú¥íyyih rabbani has reported (“to the Bahá’í youth,” p. 6) that shoghi effendi said “the object of life to a Bahá’í is to promote the oneness of mankind.” see also shoghi effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 43–44. † ‘abdu’l-Bahá, in Bahá’í World Faith, p. 373.
Marriage: A Fortress for Well-Being
effective in their service to others, and freer to develop spiritually, morally, and intellectually.
Carrying Forward an EvEradvanCing Civilization
Marriage is the foundation of a good family; good families in turn are the foundation of a stable civilization. spiritual marriages will produce spiritual families, from which a spiritual civilization may emerge.
O peerless Lord! In Thine almighty wisdom Thou hast enjoined marriage upon the peoples, that the generations of men may succeed one another in this contingent world, and that ever, so long as the world shall last, they may busy themselves at the Threshold of Thy oneness
God’s Purpose for Humanity
with servitude and worship, with salutation, adoration and praise. —‘abdu’l-Bahá
(Bahá’í Prayers, pp. 118–19)
Compare the nations of the world to the members of a family. A family is a nation in miniature. Simply enlarge the circle of the household, and you have the nation. Enlarge the circle of nations, and you have all humanity. The conditions surrounding the family surround the nation. The happenings in the family are the happenings in the life of the nation. Would it add to the progress and advancement of a family if dissensions should arise among its members, all fighting, pillaging each other, jealous and revengeful of injury, seeking selfish advantage? Nay, this would be
