FROM THE WRITINGS OF "ABDU"L-BAHa:
"27: O G.o.d, O Thou Who hast cast Thy splendour over the luminous realities of..."
O G.o.d, O Thou Who hast cast Thy splendour over the luminous realities of men, shedding upon them the resplendent lights of knowledge and guidance, and hast chosen them out of all created things for this supernal grace, and hast caused them to encompa.s.s all things, to understand their inmost essence, and to disclose their mysteries, bringing them forth out of darkness into the visible world! "He verily showeth His special mercy to whomsoever He will."(2)
O Lord, help Thou Thy loved ones to acquire knowledge and the sciences and arts, and to unravel the secrets that are treasured up in the inmost reality of all created beings. Make them to hear the hidden truths that are written and embedded in the heart of all that is. Make them to be ensigns of guidance amongst all creatures, and piercing rays of the mind shedding forth their light in this, the "first life".(3) Make them to be leaders unto Thee, guides unto Thy path, runners urging men on to Thy Kingdom.
Thou verily art the Powerful, the Protector, the Potent, the Defender, the Mighty, the Most Generous.
O Company of G.o.d! To each created thing, the Ancient Sovereignty hath portioned out its own perfection, its particular virtue and special excellence, so that each in its degree may become a symbol denoting the sublimity of the true Educator of humankind, and that each, even as a crystalline mirror, may tell of the grace and splendour of the Sun of Truth.
And from amongst all creatures He hath singled out man, to grant him His most wondrous gift, and hath made him to attain the bounties of the Company on High. That most precious of gifts is attainment unto His unfailing guidance, that the inner reality of humankind should become as a niche to hold this lamp; and when the scattering splendours of this light do beat against the bright gla.s.s of the heart, the heart"s purity maketh the beams to blaze out even stronger than before, and to shine in glory on the minds and souls of men.
The attainment of the most great guidance is dependent upon knowledge and wisdom, and on being informed as to the mysteries of the Holy Words.
Wherefore must the loved ones of G.o.d, be they young or old, be they men or women, each one according to his capabilities, strive to acquire the various branches of knowledge, and to increase his understanding of the mysteries of the Holy Books, and his skill in marshalling the divine proofs and evidences.
The eminent Sadru"s-Sudur, who hath verily attained a most exalted station in the Retreats of Bliss, inaugurated the teaching meeting. He was the first blessed soul to lay the foundation of this momentous inst.i.tution.
G.o.d be praised, during the course of his life he educated persons who today are strong and eloquent advocates of the Lord G.o.d, disciples who are indeed pure and spiritual descendants of him who was so close to the Holy Threshold. After his pa.s.sing, certain blessed individuals took steps to perpetuate his teaching work, and when He learned of it, this Captive"s heart rejoiced.
At this time, likewise, I most urgently request the friends of G.o.d to make every effort, as much as lieth within their competence, along these lines.
The harder they strive to widen the scope of their knowledge, the better and more gratifying will be the result. Let the loved ones of G.o.d, whether young or old, whether male or female, each according to his capabilities, bestir themselves and spare no efforts to acquire the various current branches of knowledge, both spiritual and secular, and of the arts.
Whensoever they gather in their meetings let their conversation be confined to learned subjects and to information on the knowledge of the day.
If they do thus, they will flood the world with the Manifest Light, and change this dusty earth into gardens of the Realm of Glory.
(From a Tablet-translated from the Arabic) [27]
"28: O thou true friend! Read, in the school of G.o.d, the lessons of the..."
O thou true friend! Read, in the school of G.o.d, the lessons of the spirit, and learn from love"s Teacher the innermost truths. Seek out the secrets of Heaven, and tell of the overflowing grace and favour of G.o.d.
Although to acquire the sciences and arts is the greatest glory of mankind, this is so only on condition that man"s river floweth into the mighty Sea, and draweth from G.o.d"s ancient source His inspiration. When this cometh to pa.s.s, then every teacher is as a sh.o.r.eless ocean, every pupil a prodigal fountain of knowledge. If, then, the pursuit of knowledge leadeth to the beauty of Him Who is the object of all knowledge, how excellent that goal; but if not, a mere drop will perhaps shut a man off from flooding grace, for with learning cometh arrogance and pride, and it bringeth on error and indifference to G.o.d.
The sciences of today are bridges to reality; if then they lead not to reality, naught remains but fruitless illusion. By the one true G.o.d! If learning be not a means of access to Him, the Most Manifest, it is nothing but evident loss.
It is inc.u.mbent upon thee to acquire the various branches of knowledge, and to turn thy face toward the beauty of the Manifest Beauty, that thou mayest be a sign of saving guidance amongst the peoples of the world, and a focal centre of understanding in this sphere from which the wise and their wisdom are shut out, except for whoso setteth foot in the Kingdom of Lights and becometh informed of the veiled and hidden mystery, the well-guarded secret.
("Selections from the Writings of "Abdu"l-Baha" [rev. ed.], (Haifa: Baha"i World Centre, 1982), Sec. 72, p. 110) [28]
"29: Man is in the highest degree of materiality, and at the beginning of..."
Man is in the highest degree of materiality, and at the beginning of spirituality-that is to say, he is the end of imperfection and the beginning of perfection. He is at the last degree of darkness, and at the beginning of light; that is why it has been said that the condition of man is the end of the night and the beginning of day, meaning that he is the sum of all the degrees of imperfection, and that he possesses the degrees of perfection. He has the animal side as well as the angelic side, and the aim of an educator is to so train human souls that their angelic aspect may overcome their animal side....
("Some Answered Questions", rev. ed. (Wilmette: Baha"i Publishing Trust, 1985), pp. 235) [29]
"30: Man is said to be the greatest representative of G.o.d, and he is the Book..."
Man is said to be the greatest representative of G.o.d, and he is the Book of Creation because all the mysteries of beings exist in him. If he comes under the shadow of the True Educator and is rightly trained, he becomes the essence of essences, the light of lights, the spirit of spirits; he becomes the centre of the divine appearances, the source of spiritual qualities, the rising-place of heavenly lights, and the receptacle of divine inspirations. If he is deprived of this education, he becomes the manifestation of satanic qualities, the sum of animal vices, and the source of all dark conditions.
The reason of the mission of the Prophets is to educate men, so that this piece of coal may become a diamond, and this fruitless tree may be engrafted and yield the sweetest, most delicious fruits. When man reaches the n.o.blest state in the world of humanity, then he can make further progress in the conditions of perfection, but not in state; for such states are limited, but the divine perfections are endless.
("Some Answered Questions", pp. 23637) [30]
"31: Close investigation will show that the primary cause of oppression and..."
Close investigation will show that the primary cause of oppression and injustice, of unrighteousness, irregularity and disorder, is the people"s lack of religious faith and the fact that they are uneducated. When, for example, the people are genuinely religious and are literate and well-schooled, and a difficulty presents itself, they can apply to the local authorities; if they do not meet with justice and secure their rights and if they see that the conduct of the local government is incompatible with the Divine good pleasure and the king"s justice, they can then take their case to higher courts and describe the deviation of the local administration from the spiritual law. Those courts can then send for the local records of the case and in this way justice will be done. At present, however, because of their inadequate schooling, most of the population lack even that vocabulary to explain what they want.
("The Secret of Divine Civilization", 2nd ed. (Wilmette: Baha"i Publishing Trust, 1983), p. 18) [31]
"32: The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of education...."
The primary, the most urgent requirement is the promotion of education. It is inconceivable that any nation should achieve prosperity and success unless this paramount, this fundamental concern is carried forward. The princ.i.p.al reason for the decline and fall of peoples is ignorance. Today the ma.s.s of the people are uniformed even as to ordinary affairs, how much less do they grasp the core of the important problems and complex needs of the time.
("The Secret of Divine Civilization", p. 109) [32]
"33: Observe carefully how education and the arts of civilization bring honour,...."