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FROM BADÍ‘ULLÁH

Badí‘ulláh came in during the afternoon. At first he seemed somewhat self-conscious, but in a little while the Power came over him and the Light shone in his face. Then he forgot self and spoke with fervor and eloquence. His theme was “Love and Severance.” He said, “Cut yourself from the perishable things of this world. There is a beautiful Persian story which tells of the love of Majnún and Laylí. It is mentioned by Bahá‘u’lláh in the Tablet of the ’seven Valleys.'[7] Majnún was seen searching everywhere for Laylí after she had passed into the Spirit world. The lover, although he knew his search was hopeless, continued to seek his beloved even by sifting sand through his fingers, proving his devotion and worship. The story of this love teaches us that there is a deep hidden wisdom in our trials and disappointments, for they prove the quality of our love and devotion to God. Like Majnún, we must seek Him everywhere, we must seek Him continually. While seeking for his beloved one dark night, Majnún was seen and pursued by a patrol. Just as he was about being taken prisoner, Majnún climbed over a high wall and jumped down into a garden, falling at the feet of his beloved Laylí, who happened to be searching with a candle for a lost ring. When he found himself in her presence, he forgot his fears, offered a prayer of thanksgiving, and asked God to bless the patrol ho had pursued him. So it is in our search for God. At first everything seems difficult. Trials and oppositions beset us on every side. But when we find Him, in our love and confidence, we thank Him for all the difficulties and troubles we pass through. Our faith and peace have been perfected by our search for Him; our enjoyment of His Love is so much greater for the obstacles which have beset us on the way. The Prophets and Messengers of God live their lives through storms of oppression and tempests of hatred and suffering. They are despised and rejected, imprisoned, tortured, and martyred. If they did not love God and know to what a Paradise of Love this road of thorns was leading them, they could not go on to the end. The soul is like gold which must be tried in the fire and in the crucible before it is perfected and purified. In the crucible of His Love, all the base metal, all the alloy is burned away and disappears, leaving only that which is precious and proof against all tests. Outside the soul are innumerable barriers, numberless enemies, and hostile pursuers. By the Mercy of God we have been permitted to surmount these walls, escape from these pursuers, and fall at the feet of our Beloved. Having found Him and His Love, we must be like our Beloved and love one another, even blessing our enemies and those who have persecuted us. All the Light and Love you have received in ‘Akká will illumine and uplift other souls in America if you love them. In our actions we reveal what the tongue cannot speak. This is like putting a candle in a dark place so that the light may reach many eyes and guide many souls. The real light of the soul shines forth to the world in our actions. The most important message for us to deliver to the world is the message of Love. Through love we form companionship, and by uniting in spiritual companionship we attain power. When this magic circle of love, unity, and power is established, our influence widens, and the number of our friends will increase. The reality of Love is to love others better than we love ourselves, to excel one another in service. To do this, all ill feeling must be taken out of the heart. We must remove ill feeling entirely from our dispositions. The Blessed Perfection said in one of His Tablets that if He knew He had been the cause of sadness to any soul during the day, He could not sleep until all that sadness had been taken away by Love. If this love and companionship do not exist, our meeting together in the Cause of God is impossible and fruitless, for without Unity there is no accomplishment. God has said, 'Because I loved thee, therefore I created thee.'[8] The elements have been attracted toward each other, coerced as it were through affinity for each other. Therefore, in their mingling we witness growth and being. The existence of the physical and mental Kingdom is through the cohesion of these atoms, and this makes the Life of the Spiritual Kingdom possible. For the Spirit, although not of these atoms, can only manifest Itself in the mental and physical, and it is by the Life of the Spirit in us that the Eternal Life of God is transmitted to humanity. Why do we Bahá’ís love one another? Because God wishes us to love the creatures of God so that His Purpose may be accomplished in them and in us. Then we are the lover, and humanity is the beloved. Majnún and Laylí could not be mated because they belonged to opposite and hostile tribes, just as Romeo and Juliet came from different families which bitterly hated each other. Finally, the love of Majnún grew so strong that he wandered away into the wilderness where a dog crossed his path. Weeping, he stopped and caressed the creature, for it had once belonged to Laylí. If the earthly love was so strong in Majnún, how much stronger should our spiritual love be for each other! In everything we must strive to find God. Our love for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá must bring peace, harmony, and goodwill everywhere among ourselves. The foundation of all existence is Love, and the foundation of Love is God. What would there be in this world without love? The Blessed Perfection said, 'The reason I have suffered all these tribulations is that Love should be established among the friends of God.' They asked Majnún, 'Why do you love the earth?' 'Because it is dark like Laylí,' he replied. The lover of an earthly beloved is most unhappy and yet most interesting to us simply because he loves. In the ’seven Valleys' the Blessed Perfection shows that some lovers of God must slowly traverse all seven stages of the road toward the Eternal Beloved, while others attain in one bound, in one step. Love is the true self of the soul, for God Himself is Love.”[9]

“The sign of a true lover is that his heart must be in perfect accord with his actions, or rather that his actions must speak the secrets of his heart. Events show that Muhammad-‘Alí has followed his own will and not the Will of the Blessed Perfection. A true seeker must seek for the Reality. May the Power of God grow so strong within you that the world will become aflame with your words and all the people be enkindled with the Fire of the Love of God. What the Blessed Perfection has desired and announced will surely come to pass. When Love is established in human hearts, war will cease and swords be made into plowshares. Then will Peace reign over all nations and kingdoms.”

Question asked Badí‘ulláh: “Was there communication between the Báb and Bahá‘u’lláh?” He answered, “Before the Báb was martyred, He directed that a large box of books and writings be sent to Bahá‘u’lláh. This was less than a year before His death. At the age of twenty-five He declared Himself to be the 'Door' or 'Gate' to 'He Whom God will make manifest.' He announced Himself to be the Mediator between this Promised One and the people of the world. It is said that for a short time They were together, but this statement is without authority. I never heard Bahá‘u’lláh say that He had seen the Báb. It is not historically established that They met, but the sending of the box is a fact of history. There were many writings of the Báb in this box; treatises upon the Qur'án, etc.; also a paper entitled 'Conjugations in the Name of Abhá' in which Bahá‘u’lláh is mentioned cabalistically and otherwise three hundred and sixty times. The purpose of this was to announce the 'Hidden One,' the 'Manifest One,' to the people and prepare them for His Appearance. 'Bahá' means 'Glorious Light' or 'Effulgent Splendor.' The Báb knew this was to be His Name when He appeared. He also knew and announced the year of the Manifestation of Bahá‘u’lláh, who first declared Himself near Baghdád. Thereupon the Name Bahá‘u’lláh descended upon Him.”