Might honors the tenth of the nineteen months of the Bahá'í calendar. It is observed from September 8 until September 27. When thinking of Might an overwhelming feeling may occur as one wonders how it may be possible to distil from Bahá'u'lláh’s mighty Writings any one segment, to the exclusion of the thousands of references to any one attribute.
And then His “Hidden Words” comes to mind, that gem of simplicity that Shoghi Effendi declared was identified with the “Hidden Book of Fatimah,” believed to have been revealed by the Angel Gabriel through the Imam Ali for consolation of Muhammad’s daughter after His death. It had remained hidden from the world until Shoghi Effendi released it. As an aside, the 1954 edition contains a beautiful Introduction by George Townshend, which is absent in later versions, including a splendid discussion of ego.
Among the verses in “Hidden Words” are the following which mention Might:
"HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES
"This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.” -- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 3 --
"24. O SON OF MAN!
“Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power.” -- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 9 --
"67. O SON OF BEAUTY!
“By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.” -- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 19, 20 --
In considering the concept of might, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of modern times which celebrate victories of one over another, whether on the athletic field or in the boardroom. We are a society of winners and losers. Even children playing together are conditioned to learn the feelings of pride to be gained through being better than another in many of their activities; my (whatever) is better than your (whatever.) This is not to say that each of us should not do the very best we can in all our daily activities. But do all our accomplishments need to come at the expense of another? Why do we not perform our very best in order to experience the satisfaction of knowing that we did the best we could, and then celebrate the accomplishments of our peers? Why not surround our activities in the aura of love as demonstrated by our Creator?
Consider God’s love for humanity. Even though He is the Most Mighty of the Most Mighty, He does not bully into our lives in the manner of a despot. He, in fact, goes overboard to not interfere in our activities if we do not want His love. In reflecting on the aforementioned verses, it seems that an unmentioned aspect of His Might is absent. And that is God’s love for us. Within His Might, he tempers his release of knowledge to us in a manner that we may easily understand, regardless of our capacity or station in life. He does not burden us with His boasting of his Might, nor does He overpower us by forcing us to accept that which we are not capable of understanding. Could a loving parent do more than that?
Think about it. His Might has released tempered bits of Knowledge from the beginnings of recorded history. A series of Manifestations have brought spiritual instruction in doses that fit the times, assuring material advancement, all the while providing guidance for the social conditions humans will live within during that period. Eventually and on schedule, He repeats the process in order that we will have updated information applicable to that Age. And the mantle of all of those instructions contains an aura of love.
Through nine Manifestations, the unifying theme to love our neighbors as ourselves is ever present. Love permeates all His activities. While some of the Love may appear at times to be “tough love,” reflection will provide the conclusion that the “tough love” we accept can create within us a degree of spiritual strength we lacked before. Rather than forcing His Might upon us, he allows us to grow through the process of accepting His love.
His Might is so beyond the scope of our capabilities that mortals will never fully understand its fullness. However, in the meantime, through His love for us He will continue doling out His Attributes in a fashion that is always within our comprehension.
The world’s progress will continue to develop as humans accept His Love as best they can, while growing spiritually in a continuum brought by each of the Manifestations, in orderly fashion.
Let us reflect upon His Might, eternally conditioned with His Love as our beacon during the Feast of Might, and the month beyond.
Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell
And then His “Hidden Words” comes to mind, that gem of simplicity that Shoghi Effendi declared was identified with the “Hidden Book of Fatimah,” believed to have been revealed by the Angel Gabriel through the Imam Ali for consolation of Muhammad’s daughter after His death. It had remained hidden from the world until Shoghi Effendi released it. As an aside, the 1954 edition contains a beautiful Introduction by George Townshend, which is absent in later versions, including a splendid discussion of ego.
Among the verses in “Hidden Words” are the following which mention Might:
"HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES
"This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.” -- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 3 --
"24. O SON OF MAN!
“Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power.” -- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 9 --
"67. O SON OF BEAUTY!
“By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.” -- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 19, 20 --
In considering the concept of might, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of modern times which celebrate victories of one over another, whether on the athletic field or in the boardroom. We are a society of winners and losers. Even children playing together are conditioned to learn the feelings of pride to be gained through being better than another in many of their activities; my (whatever) is better than your (whatever.) This is not to say that each of us should not do the very best we can in all our daily activities. But do all our accomplishments need to come at the expense of another? Why do we not perform our very best in order to experience the satisfaction of knowing that we did the best we could, and then celebrate the accomplishments of our peers? Why not surround our activities in the aura of love as demonstrated by our Creator?
Consider God’s love for humanity. Even though He is the Most Mighty of the Most Mighty, He does not bully into our lives in the manner of a despot. He, in fact, goes overboard to not interfere in our activities if we do not want His love. In reflecting on the aforementioned verses, it seems that an unmentioned aspect of His Might is absent. And that is God’s love for us. Within His Might, he tempers his release of knowledge to us in a manner that we may easily understand, regardless of our capacity or station in life. He does not burden us with His boasting of his Might, nor does He overpower us by forcing us to accept that which we are not capable of understanding. Could a loving parent do more than that?
Think about it. His Might has released tempered bits of Knowledge from the beginnings of recorded history. A series of Manifestations have brought spiritual instruction in doses that fit the times, assuring material advancement, all the while providing guidance for the social conditions humans will live within during that period. Eventually and on schedule, He repeats the process in order that we will have updated information applicable to that Age. And the mantle of all of those instructions contains an aura of love.
Through nine Manifestations, the unifying theme to love our neighbors as ourselves is ever present. Love permeates all His activities. While some of the Love may appear at times to be “tough love,” reflection will provide the conclusion that the “tough love” we accept can create within us a degree of spiritual strength we lacked before. Rather than forcing His Might upon us, he allows us to grow through the process of accepting His love.
His Might is so beyond the scope of our capabilities that mortals will never fully understand its fullness. However, in the meantime, through His love for us He will continue doling out His Attributes in a fashion that is always within our comprehension.
The world’s progress will continue to develop as humans accept His Love as best they can, while growing spiritually in a continuum brought by each of the Manifestations, in orderly fashion.
Let us reflect upon His Might, eternally conditioned with His Love as our beacon during the Feast of Might, and the month beyond.
Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell
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