Hands of the Bahá'í Faith

THE MONTH OF SPLENDOR, BAHA'

The Month of Splendor (Bahá) is the nineteen day period beginning March 21.

“Give a hearing ear, O people, to that which I, in truth, say unto you. The one true God, exalted be His glory, hath ever regarded, and will continue to regard, the hearts of men as His own, His exclusive possession. All else, whether pertaining to land or sea, whether riches or glory, He hath bequeathed unto the Kings and rulers of the earth. From the beginning that hath no beginning the ensign proclaiming the words "He doeth whatsoever He willeth" hath been unfurled in all its splendor before His Manifestation. What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that are in authority, and a faithful adherence to the cord of wisdom. The instruments which are essential to the immediate protection, the security and assurance of the human race have been entrusted to the hands, and lie in the grasp, of the governors of human society. This is the wish of God and His decree.... We cherish the hope that one of the kings of the earth will, for the sake of God, arise for the triumph of this wronged, this oppressed people. Such a king will be eternally extolled and glorified. God hath prescribed unto this people the duty of aiding whosoever will aid them, of serving his best interests, and of demonstrating to him their abiding loyalty. They who follow Me must strive, under all circumstances, to promote the welfare of whosoever will arise for the triumph of My Cause, and must at all times prove their devotion and fidelity unto him. Happy is the man that hearkeneth and observeth My counsel. Woe unto him that faileth to fulfil My wish.”

-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 206-207

As attested in the above paragraph, the unfurling of God’s incomprehensible Splendor was not an attempt for Him to regale in His own importance, nor to exalt His creation. He very graciously bequeathed to the Kings and rulers of the earth the power and responsibility of governing the vast resources of this planet both human and material, whether of the land or the sea. And then He admonished that humans be obedient to those in authority, and to show faithful adherence to the cord of wisdom.

The more remarkable aspect of that paragraph is that He “…hath ever regarded, and will continue to regard, the hearts of men as His own, His exclusive possession.” Dare I suggest that therein lies the dilemma facing every person who has ever lived? Regardless of the degree of worship of countless billions over the centuries, Bahá'u'lláh’s emphasis that the human heart is the only worldly possession that He expects as His own presents a more closely defined expectation than ever before. For even Bahá'ís may not be fully aware of the degree of importance that their demeanor has toward their relationship with God in this Day, if they have not accepted that particular statement in “Gleanings.” 

This is the month of Splendor. When one thinks of the splendors that God has unfurled in His creation, the mind boggles; the beauty of a sunset, the brilliant array of a rainbow, the eerie mystery and dazzle of the aurora borealis, the beauty and limitlessness of the universe, particularly now with the images sent back to earth from space exploration. Considering that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there are infinitesimal numbers of what may considered splendor through the eyes of billions. Splendor is everywhere.

Is it significant that the above paragraph addresses the hearts of men before mentioning His splendors? Probably. That one paragraph may put the reality of this life in perspective better than any other. Then, after referring to His splendors, He quickly delegates all the operational activity required of that enterprise to the kings of the earth, and remands humanity to follow with obedience the (just) rulers. But in proclaiming the hearts of men to be His own, He does not allow humans to get off that easily, considering  how  difficult it is for any of us to control our own hearts. Admittedly, that is the more onerous task.   

Human hearts. That’s all He wants.

And therein lies the dilemma. Countless billions do not have a clue. Countless billions consider all the splendors of the world, and probably feel that God wants nothing more than to regale in the natural beauty of this earth. Oh! How much easier it would be if that were the case. No, He wants our hearts for Himself. The problem is that the only way He can gain access to our hearts is for us to prepare ourselves by studying His teachings and following His Covenant. If we never do that, we will never know the joy of His entering our hearts. If we ignore our fellow man and consider our own selfish needs paramount, then the game is over before it begins.

God is standing at the ready to take our hearts as His exclusive possession, but only on His terms. If we do nothing to prepare ourselves for His descent into our hearts, then at the appointed hour He may quietly pass by to occupy the heart of our neighbor. The scriptures have for evermore bade us to do unto others as we would have them do unto ourselves. Building upon the love from that attitude will no doubt go a long way toward His descent into our hearts in order that we may fully realize His splendors. We must  continually practice our unfailing love for others.

Hand of the Cause David Maxwell 



 

THE MONTH OF 'ALA' LOFTINESS

The last month of the Bahá'í calendar, that of ‘Ala” (Loftiness), is the nineteen day period from March 2 to March 20. According to J.E. Esslemont in Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era…“The Bahá'í year consists of 19 months of 19 days each (i.e. 361 days), with the addition of certain "Intercalary Days" (four in ordinary and five in leap years) between the eighteenth and nineteenth months in order to adjust the calendar to the solar year. The Báb named the months after the attributes of God. The Bahá'í New Year, like the ancient Persian New Year, is astronomically fixed, commencing at the March equinox (usually March 21), and the Bahá'í era commenced with the year of the Báb's declaration, 1844.

“In the Book of Isaiah it is written: "Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty."  No man that meditateth upon this verse can fail to recognize the greatness of this Cause, or doubt the exalted character of this Day--the Day of God Himself. This same verse is followed by these words: "And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that Day."  This is the Day which the Pen of the Most High hath glorified in all the holy Scriptures. There is no verse in them that doth not declare the glory of His holy Name, and no Book that doth not testify unto the loftiness of this most exalted theme. Were We to make mention of all that hath been revealed in these heavenly Books and holy Scriptures concerning this Revelation, this Tablet would assume impossible dimensions. It is incumbent in this Day, upon every man to place his whole trust in the manifold bounties of God, and arise to disseminate, with the utmost wisdom, the verities of His Cause. Then, and only then, will the whole earth be enveloped with the morning light of His Revelation.”

-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 13-14

How appropriate that the last month of the Bahá'í calendar year is named Loftiness. That allows us a period of time preceding the Bahá'í New Year to ponder our thoughts on God’s loftiness. Could that His most mysterious attribute? After all, human conscience often equates the realm of God to be somewhere out there in the great beyond. Although we are feebly inept to understand His realm, we, nevertheless, have no other metaphor to cling to than the sky above. And that it is so completely lacking in apparent sensory dimension merely adds to its mystery. Scientists comprehend the elements of matter that compose the sky, and the common man generally understands that the physics of the atmosphere allows the flight of birds and the man-made vehicles of flight, yet does any human really understand its majesty and loftiness?

As we mature in our general understanding about the universe, we are given snippets of the wonders of new planets, the probability of life on them, and the millions of light-years between them. This is only the tip of the iceberg. New discoveries overwhelm us with their imaginable-beyond-comprehension dimensions rather than bringing a closure to what we already know. It seems that with each new facet of knowledge we gain, the vastness and complexity of the universe grows exponentially. At the other end of the spectrum we have the newer technology of the smallest of the small, the nano science where dimensions may be measured only with the most highly calibrated instruments. It would seem that with the more we learn, the further away the ultimate target becomes.

When we think of God and His Kingdom, an even larger conundrum appears. We know that down through the ages various Manifestations and Prophets have pretty much convinced most of us that there is a life beyond this life out there somewhere. Angels and other holy beings are thought to be residing above us in the air due in part to their traditional appendages of wings. Yet, do the holy writings discuss the physical addition of actual wings to the deceased? Is there a moment in time when wings are added?

I think not. The Holy Writings of most religions speak multitudes about the spirit and souls of mankind. Baha’is are taught that our spirit lives beyond this world in the form of a soul, a soul that is attached to each of our embryos at the moment of conception and is a part of us forever. Our thoughts of God’s love for the souls of His human creations are usually connected in some manner with the firmament above. ‘Abdu’l-Baha taught us that the soul is of a substance not of this world. It is the only part of us that makes the journey into the world beyond, and its composition apparently thrives in that atmosphere.

Thus it may be opined that the dimension beyond, the loftiness of God, may be measured and understood within a scientific system unknown to any of us on this plane. And rightly so. How could our God actually be the God of the universe and of the worlds beyond this world if He were not of some other dimension than that understood by we mortals? On a scientific basis, we may eventually learn much more about the physical qualities of God and the universe than we know now, but not from the perspective of this world.

Yet, even that will be of little use to us if our spirit or soul is lacking in some manner. The only nourishment for the soul that has ever been discussed in any of the holy writings comes through our faith and trust in God’s Message. His message of complete love for us provides the avenue to all the nourishment we need both in this world and in the next.  

“…It is incumbent in this Day, upon every man to place his whole trust in the manifold bounties of God, and arise to disseminate, with the utmost wisdom, the verities of His Cause. Then, and only then, will the whole earth be enveloped with the morning light of His Revelation.”

Hand of the Cause of God David Maxwell