compiled by Bahá’í Publishing
outlined type
Wilmette, Illinois
Bahá’í Publishing 415 Linden Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois 60091-2844 Copyright © 2012 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the United States All rights reserved. Published 2012 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper ∞ 15 14 13 12 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The human soul / compiled by Baha’i Publishing. p. cm. — (Spirit of faith) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-61851-000-6 (alk. paper) 1. Soul. 2. Bahai Faith—Doctrines. I. Bah?’u’ll?h, 1817–1892. Selections. 2012. II. Bab, ‘Ali Muhammad Shirazi, 1819–1850. Selections. 2012. III. ‘Abdu’l-Bah?, 1844–1921. Selections. 2012. IV. Baha’i Publishing. BP360.H86 2012 297.9’322—dc23 2012000852
Cover design by Andrew Johnson Book design by Patrick Falso
Contents Introduction........................................................1 From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh.........................7 From the Writings of the Báb............................49 From the Writings and Recorded Utterances of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá...........................................63 Notes..............................................................127 Bibliography....................................................135
3
I
t is clear and evident that the one true God— glorified be His mention!—is sanctified above
the world and all that is therein. By “rendering assistance unto God,” then, it is not meant that any soul should fight or contend with another. That Sovereign Lord Who doeth whatsoever He pleaseth hath entrusted the kingdom of creation, its lands and its seas, into the hands of the kings, for they are, each according to his degree, the manifestations of His divine power. Should they enter beneath the shadow of the True One, they will be accounted
of God, and if not, thy Lord, verily, knoweth and observeth all things.
10
Spirit of Faith: The Human Soul
4
O
SON OF MAN! Bestow My wealth upon My poor, that in heaven thou mayest draw
from stores of unfading splendor and treasures of imperishable glory. But by My life! To offer up thy soul is a more glorious thing couldst thou but see with Mine eye.
From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
11
5
B
eautify your tongues, O people, with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the orna-
ment of honesty.
12
Spirit of Faith: The Human Soul
6
O
SON OF SPIRIT! Burst thy cage asunder, and even as the phoenix of love soar into
the firmament of holiness. Renounce thyself and, filled with the spirit of mercy, abide in the realm of celestial sanctity.
From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
13
7
K
now then that “life” hath a twofold meaning. The first pertaineth to the appearance of man
in an elemental body, and is as manifest to thine eminence and to others as the midday sun. This life cometh to an end with physical death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality. That life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant’s recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is that blessed and everlasting life that perisheth not: whosoever is quickened thereby 14
Spirit of Faith: The Human Soul
9
H
ear Me, ye mortal birds! In the Rose Garden of changeless splendor a Flower hath
begun to bloom, compared to which every other flower is but a thorn, and before the brightness of Whose glory the very essence of beauty must pale and wither. Arise, therefore, and, with the whole enthusiasm of your hearts, with all the eagerness of your souls, the full fervor of your will, and the concentrated efforts of your entire being, strive to attain the paradise of His presence, and endeavor to inhale the fragrance of the incorruptible Flower, to breathe the sweet savors of holiness, and to obtain a portion of this perfume of celestial glory. Whoso followeth this counsel will break his chains asunder, will taste the abandonment of enraptured From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
17
love, will attain unto his heart’s desire, and will surrender his soul into the hands of his Beloved. Bursting through his cage, he will, even as the bird of the spirit, wing his flight to his holy and everlasting nest.
18
Spirit of Faith: The Human Soul
10
I
swear by the Daystar of God’s Testimony that hath shone from the horizon of certitude! This
Wronged One, in the daytime and in the nightseason, occupied Himself with that which would edify the souls of men, until the light of knowledge prevailed over the darkness of ignorance.
From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
19
11
L
et His love be a storehouse of treasure for your souls, on the Day when naught else but Him
shall profit you, the Day when every pillar shall tremble, when the very skins of men shall creep, when all eyes shall stare up with terror.
20
Spirit of Faith: The Human Soul
12
W
hen the channel of the human soul is cleansed of all worldly and impeding at-
tachments, it will unfailingly perceive the breath of the Beloved across immeasurable distances, and will, led by its perfume, attain and enter the City of Certitude.
From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
21
13
H
ow much more grievous would it be, were aught else to be mentioned in that Pres-
ence, were man’s heart, his tongue, his mind, or his soul, to be busied with any one but the WellBeloved, were his eyes to behold any countenance other than His beauty, were his ear to be inclined to any melody but His Voice, and were his feet to tread any way but His way.
22
Spirit of Faith: The Human Soul