A Compilaton on Women.
by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice.
I. THE BAHa"i CONCEPT OF EQUALITY
Extracts From the Writings of Baha"u"llah
1: O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?...
O Children of Men! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust?
That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is inc.u.mbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory.
("The Hidden Words of Baha"u"llah", Arabic no. 68, rev. ed. (Wilmette: Baha"i Publishing Trust, 1985), p. 20) [1]
2: Exalted, immensely exalted is He Who hath removed differences and...
Exalted, immensely exalted is He Who hath removed differences and established harmony. Glorified, infinitely glorified is He Who hath caused discord to cease, and decreed solidarity and unity. Praised be G.o.d, the Pen of the Most High hath lifted distinctions from between His servants and handmaidens, and, through His consummate favours and all-encompa.s.sing mercy, hath conferred upon all a station and rank of the same plane. He hath broken the back of vain imaginings with the sword of utterance and hath obliterated the perils of idle fancies through the pervasive power of His might.
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian) [2]
3: This Wronged One hath heard thy voice and that which thy inner and outer...
This Wronged One hath heard thy voice and that which thy inner and outer tongue hath uttered in praise of thy Lord. By the righteousness of G.o.d!
That which the people possess, and the treasures of the earth, and that which the rulers and kings own, are not equal in this day to the singing of His praise. The Lord of the Kingdom beareth witness unto this at this glorious moment. And having heard thy groaning and lamentation, We are responding with a Tablet which calleth out betwixt earth and heaven and maketh mention of thee with words that immortalize what hath appeared from thee in His love, in His service, in His remembrance and in His praise.
And He hath made that which hath issued forth from thy mouth a trust with Him for thee. He is verily the Most Bounteous, the Most Generous. If thou truly givest ear to that which hath been revealed for thee from My Supreme Pen at this moment, thou shalt soar with the wings of eagerness in the heaven of love for the Lord of the Day of the Covenant, and wilt say during all the days of thy life: Thanks be unto Thee, O Thou the Desire of the world, and praise be unto Thee, O Thou the Beloved of the people of understanding. May all existence be a sacrifice for Thy favour, and all that hath been and will ever be, a ransom for Thy Word, O Thou the Wronged One amongst the people of enmity, O Thou in Whose grasp are the reins of all who are in heaven and on earth....
In this Day the Hand of divine grace hath removed all distinctions. The servants of G.o.d and His handmaidens are regarded on the same plane.
Blessed is the servant who hath attained unto that which G.o.d hath decreed, and likewise the leaf moving in accordance with the breezes of His will.
This favour is great and this station lofty. His bounties and bestowals are ever present and manifest. Who is able to offer befitting grat.i.tude for His successive bestowals and continuous favours?
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian and Arabic) [3]
4: By My Life! The names of handmaidens who are devoted to G.o.d are written...
By My Life! The names of handmaidens who are devoted to G.o.d are written and set down by the Pen of the Most High in the Crimson Book. They excel over men in the sight of G.o.d. How numerous are the heroes and knights in the field who are bereft of the True One and have no share in His recognition, but thou hast attained and received thy fill.
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian) [4]
5: Verily the Pen of the Most High hath borne witness unto thy recognition of...
Verily the Pen of the Most High hath borne witness unto thy recognition of Him, thy love for Him and thy turning towards the Ancient Countenance at a time when the world hath rejected Him, save those whom G.o.d, the Most High, hath willed....
Well is it with thee for having adorned thyself with the ornament of the love of G.o.d and for having been enabled to make mention of Him and utter His praise. Divine grace, in its entirety, is in the mighty grasp of G.o.d, exalted be He. He conferreth it upon whomsoever He willeth. How many a man considered himself a celebrated divine and a repository of heavenly mysteries, and yet when the slightest test visited him, he arose with such opposition and denial as to cause the Concourse on high to moan and lament. Through the bestowals of the Lord, however, and His infinite favour, thou hast attained unto the hidden secret and the well-guarded treasure. Preserve then, in the name of G.o.d, this lofty station and conceal it from the eyes of betrayers. The glory shining from the horizon of My Kingdom be upon thee and upon every handmaiden who hath attained the splendours of My sublime Throne.
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian and Arabic) [5]
6: We beseech G.o.d to aid all the leaves to attain the knowledge of the Tree and...
We beseech G.o.d to aid all the leaves to attain the knowledge of the Tree and deprive them not of the ocean of His generosity. In this day no regard is paid to loftiness or lowliness, to poverty or wealth, to n.o.bility and lineage, to weakness or might. Whosoever recognizeth the incomparable Beloved is the possessor of true wealth and occupieth a divine station.
Today, in the court of the True One, the queen of the world and her like are not worth a mustard seed, because although she may speak in the name of G.o.d, invoke the Lord of creation every day in the temple of her body, and spend large sums of earthly wealth for the development of her nation, she is deprived of recognition of the Sun of His Manifestation and is barred from the True One in Whose remembrance she is engaged....
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian and Arabic) [6]
7: Throughout the centuries and ages many a man hath waited expectant for...
Throughout the centuries and ages many a man hath waited expectant for G.o.d"s Revelation, and yet when the Light shone forth from the horizon of the world, all but a few turned their faces away from it. Whosoever from amongst the handmaidens hath recognized the Lord of all Names is recorded in the Book as one of those men by the Pen of the Most High. Offer thou praise to the Beloved of the world for having aided thee to recognize the Dayspring of His Signs and the Revealer of the evidences of His Glory.
This is a great bounty, a bounteous favour. Preserve it in the name of the True One....
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian and Arabic) [7]
Extracts From the Writings and Utterances of "Abdu"l-Baha:
8: From the beginning of existence until the Promised Day men retained superiority...
From the beginning of existence until the Promised Day men retained superiority over women in every respect. It is revealed in the Qur"an: "Men have superiority over women." But in this wondrous Dispensation, the supreme outpouring of the Glorious Lord became the cause of manifest achievements by women. Some handmaidens arose who excelled men in the arena of knowledge. They arose with such love and spirituality that they became the cause of the outpouring of the bounty of the Sovereign Lord upon mankind, and with their sanct.i.ty, purity and attributes of the spirit led a great many to the sh.o.r.e of unity. They became a guiding torch to the wanderers in the wastes of bewilderment, and enkindled the despondent in the nether world with the flame of the love of the Lord. This is a bounteous characteristic of this wondrous Age which hath granted strength to the weaker s.e.x and hath bestowed masculine might upon womanhood....
(From a Tablet - translated from the Persian) [8]
9: O handmaid of G.o.d! In this wondrous dispensation in which the Ancient...