According to the The Bahá'í Calendar, the month of Speech (Qawl) is the nineteen day period beginning November 23. The following quotes, regarding speech, by Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá are composed of very simple sentences. Yet, a Bahá'í, or any other person, could take only one of those sentences for a basis of sincere daily meditation, and use the results of that very successfully in her quest for advancing towards God. That is the amount of power contained in the words of each of those marvelously simple utterances.
In reading the quotes, I suggest that the reader pause after each sentence, and within the stillness of her heart contemplate the deeper spiritual meaning of what she has just read. If one lacked the luxury of having a number of Bahá'í books to read from, I daresay that the few sentences below could provide a lifetime of discovery and growth if one but meditate for the deeper meanings, and most importantly, practice the fruits of her meditation.
“Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man, and show all meekness to all men.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 285
“The wrong in the world continues to exist just because people talk only of their ideals, and do not strive to put them into practice. If actions took the place of words, the world's misery would very soon be changed into comfort.”
A man who does great good, and talks not of it, is on the way to perfection.
The man who has accomplished a small good and magnifies it in his speech is worth very little.
If I love you, I need not continually speak of my love--you will know without any words. On the other hand if I love you not, that also will you know--and you would not believe me, were I to tell you in a thousand words, that I loved you.”
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 16-17
When contemplating those remarkable fragrances, it may seem shocking or perhaps even disrespectful to suggest that the perusal of a few words could be the foundation of a life of discovery toward the fulfillment of the journey towards God’s Presence, to the absence of any of the rest of Their Teachings. How could that be when considering the copious words written and books published about this New World Order announced by Bahá'u'lláh in 1863? Please consider that those words hold the key to self-cleansing for every soul.
I believe the above quotes are telling us to cleanse our hearts of any vestige of ego and replace it with thoughts of thanksgiving for the good to be found in others, all the while realizing that one’s own deeds are meaningless if they are promoted in a boastful manner, which always demeans the deeds of the other person. It is only through the actions of a pure heart that any kind of goodness may accrue, and the quest for our Lord may continue.
Actually, this is the Month of Speech, so how does that relate to what I have written?
Those related quotes are telling me that until we learn to temper our speech within the guidelines therein, and live our lives in the manner described by them, any of our actions or study is meaningless unless we allow our hearts to guide our actions within the limits of the boundaries of those quotes.
The activity of common everyday speech is perhaps the most notable means that we have in presenting ourselves to others, and every word that comes out of our mouths forms a perception in the minds of others about who we are. Our inner being is determined by a number of things, of which our speech is a primary broadcast for others to judge us by. If we but meditate and ponder our entire lifetime on one sentence of the above mentioned quotes, and release into the world actions and deeds that glorify God and His goodness, all the while treating others with the greatest respect, and considering our own actions to be of no merit worth repeating to others, what greater respect could we give Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá as we walk this life?
Do I dare summarize this by opining that the speech usage of Bahá'u'lláh and `Abdu'l-Bahá that continues to live today through the spiritual fragrance of the words that remain for us in their Writings, provides a propulsion for us along roads that would be favorable to them, if we but allow their hidden meanings to permeate our own sentences? And then, after meditating on Their Words and Sentences, we must never use our words to boast of our own deeds, but allow others the gift of perceiving a spiritual presentation from our actions alone.
Hand of the Cause of God, David Maxwell
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