Baha'u'llah
`Abdu'l-Bahá in London, p. 20: In the days of old an instinct for
warfare was developed in the struggle with wild animals; this is no longer
necessary; nay, rather, co-operation and mutual understanding are seen to
produce the greatest welfare of mankind. Enmity is now the result of
prejudice only. In the Hidden Words Bahá'u'lláh says, "Justice is
to be loved above all." Praise be to God, in this country the
standard of justice has been raised; a great effort is being made to give
all souls an equal and a true place. This is the desire of all noble
natures; this is today the teaching for the East and for the West;
therefore the East and the West will understand each other and reverence
each other, and embrace like long-parted lovers who have found each
other.
`Abdu'l-Bahá in London, p. 29: Sixthly: Equality and Brotherhood must
be established among all members of mankind. This is according to Justice
. The general rights of mankind must be guarded and preserved. All men
must be treated equally. This is inherent in the very nature of
humanity.
`Abdu'l-Bahá in London, pp. 48-49: The light of liberty is the light
of the West, and the intention of government is to work for truth and
justice in Western countries.
`Abdu'l-Bahá in London, pp. 109-110: The effort made for justice is
real and in this country [England] the law is the same for the poor as for
the rich.
`Abdu'l-Bahá in London, p. 122: I counsel them that they may day by
day strengthen the bond of love and amity to this end,--that they may
become the sympathetic embodiment of one nation.--That they may extend
themselves to a Universal Brotherhood to guard and protect the interests
and rights of all the nations of the East,--that they may unfurl the
Divine Banner of justice ,--that they may treat each nation as a family
composed of the individual children of God and may know that before the
sight of God the rights of all are equal. For all of us are the children
of one Father. God is at peace with all his children; why should they
engage in strife and warfare among themselves?
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, pp. 19-20: Theirs
will be the duty and privilege, in their capacity first as the
establishers of one of the most powerful pillars sustaining the edifice of
the Universal House of Justice , and then as the champion-builders of that
New World Order of which that House is to be the nucleus and forerunner,
to inculcate, demonstrate, and apply those twin and sorely needed
principles of Divine justice and order--principles to which the political
corruption and the moral license, increasingly staining the society to
which they belong, offer so sad and striking a contrast.
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 20: Civilization
of which their country, no less than the entire human race, stands in
desperate need. Theirs will be the duty and privilege, in their capacity
first as the establishers of one of the most powerful pillars sustaining
the edifice of the Universal House of Justice, and then as the
champion-builders of that New World Order of which that House is to be the
nucleus and forerunner, to inculcate, demonstrate, and apply those twin
and sorely needed principles of Divine justice and order--principles to
which the political corruption and the moral license, increasingly
staining the society to which they belong, offer so sad and striking a
contrast.
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 22: The first is
specially, though not exclusively, directed to their elected
representatives, whether local, regional, or national, who, in their
capacity as the custodians and members of the nascent institutions of the
Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, are shouldering the chief responsibility in laying
an unassailable foundation for that Universal House of Justice which, as
its title implies, is to be the exponent and guardian of that Divine
Justice which can alone insure the security of, and establish the reign of
law and order in, a strangely disordered world.
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, pp. 22-23: A
rectitude of conduct, an abiding sense of undeviating justice , unobscured
by the demoralizing influences which a corruption-ridden political life so
strikingly manifests; a chaste, pure, and holy life, unsullied and
unclouded by the indecencies, the vices, the false standards, which an
inherently deficient moral code tolerates, perpetuates, and fosters; a
fraternity freed from that cancerous growth of racial prejudice, which is
eating into the vitals of an already debilitated society--these are the
ideals which the American believers must, from now on, individually and
through concerted action, strive to promote, in both their private and
public lives, ideals which are the chief propelling forces that can most
effectively accelerate the march of their institutions, plans, and
enterprises, that can guard the honor and integrity of their Faith, and
subdue any obstacles that may confront it in the future. This rectitude of
conduct, with its implications of justice , equity, truthfulness, honesty,
fair-mindedness, reliability, and trustworthiness, must distinguish every
phase of the life of the Bahá'í community.
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, pp. 24-25: "Be
fair to yourselves and to others," He thus counseleth them,
"that the evidences of justice may be revealed through your deeds
among Our faithful servants." "Equity," He also has
written, "is the most fundamental among human virtues. The evaluation
of all things must needs depend upon it." And again, "Observe
equity in your judgment, ye men of understanding heart! He that is unjust
in his judgment is destitute of the characteristics that distinguish man's
station." "Beautify your tongues, O people," He further
admonishes them, "with truthfulness, and adorn your souls with the
ornament of honesty.
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 25: Beware, O
people, that ye deal not treacherously with anyone. Be ye the trustees of
God amongst His creatures, and the emblems of His generosity amidst His
people." "Let your eye be chaste," is yet another counsel,
"your hand faithful, your tongue truthful, and your heart
enlightened." "Be an ornament to the countenance of truth,"
is yet another admonition, "a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar
of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind,
an ensign of the hosts of justice , a luminary above the horizon of
virtue." "Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning,"
is still another admonition; "suffer not yourselves to be deprived of
the robe of forbearance and justice, that the sweet savors of holiness may
be wafted from your hearts upon all created things. Say: Beware, O people
of Bahá, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose words differ from their
deeds. Strive that ye may be enabled to manifest to the peoples of the
earth the signs of God, and to mirror forth His commandments. Let your
acts be a guide unto all mankind, for the professions of most men, be they
high or low, differ from their conduct. It is through your deeds that ye
can distinguish yourselves from others.
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, p. 27-29: So great
and transcendental is this principle of Divine justice , a principle that
must be regarded as the crowning distinction of all Local and National
Assemblies, in their capacity as forerunners of the Universal House of
Justice, that Bahá'u'lláh Himself subordinates His personal inclination
and wish to the all-compelling force of its demands and implications.
"God is My witness!" He thus explains, "were it not
contrary to the Law of God, I would have kissed the hand of My would-be
murderer, and would cause him to inherit My earthly goods. I am
restrained, however, by the binding Law laid down in the Book, and am
Myself bereft of all worldly possessions." "Know thou, of a
truth," He significantly affirms, "these great oppressions that
have befallen the world are preparing it for the advent of the Most Great
Justice ." "Say," He again asserts, "He hath appeared
with that Justice wherewith mankind hath been adorned, and yet the people
are, for the most part, asleep." "The light of men is
Justice," He moreover states, "Quench it not with the contrary
winds of oppression and tyranny. The purpose of justice is the appearance
of unity among men." "No radiance," He declares, "can
compare with that of justice. The organization of the world and the
tranquillity of mankind depend upon it." "O people of God!"
He exclaims, "That which traineth the world is Justice, for it is
upheld by two pillars, reward and punishment. These two pillars are the
sources of life to the world." "Justice and equity," is yet
another assertion, "are two guardians for the protection of man. They
have appeared arrayed in their mighty and sacred names to maintain the
world in uprightness and protect the nations." "Bestir
yourselves, O people," is His emphatic warning, "in anticipation
of the days of Divine justice, for the promised hour is now come. Beware
lest ye fail to apprehend its import, and be accounted among the
erring." "The day is approaching," He similarly has
written, "when the faithful will behold the daystar of justice
shining in its full splendor from the dayspring of glory." "The
shame I was made to bear," He significantly remarks, "hath
uncovered the glory with which the whole of creation had been invested,
and through the cruelties I have endured, the daystar of justice hath
manifested itself, and shed its splendor upon men." "The
world," He again has written, "is in great turmoil, and the
minds of its people are in a state of utter confusion. We entreat the
Almighty that He may graciously illuminate them with the glory of His
Justice, and enable them to discover that which will be profitable unto
them at all times and under all conditions." And again, "There
can be no doubt whatever that if the daystar of justice, which the clouds
of tyranny have obscured, were to shed its light upon men, the face of the
earth would be completely transformed." "God be praised!" `Abdu'l-Bahá,
in His turn, exclaims, "The sun of justice hath risen above the
horizon of Bahá'u'lláh. For in His Tablets the foundations of such a
justice have been laid as no mind hath, from the beginning of creation,
conceived." "The canopy of existence," He further explains,
"resteth upon the pole of justice, and not of forgiveness, and the
life of mankind dependeth on justice and not on forgiveness." Small
wonder, therefore, that the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation should have
chosen to associate the name and title of that House, which is to be the
crowning glory of His administrative institutions, not with forgiveness
but with justice, to have made justice the only basis and the permanent
foundation of His Most Great Peace, and to have proclaimed it in His
Hidden Words as "the best beloved of all things" in His sight.
It is to the American believers, particularly, that I feel urged to direct
this fervent plea to ponder in their hearts the implications of this moral
rectitude, and to uphold, with heart and soul and uncompromisingly, both
individually and collectively, this sublime standard--a standard of which
justice is so essential and potent an element.
The Advent of Divine Justice, by Shoghi Effendi, pp. 34-35: Let them
call to mind, fearlessly and determinedly, the example and conduct of `Abdu'l-Bahá
while in their midst. Let them remember His courage, His genuine love, His
informal and indiscriminating fellowship, His contempt for and impatience
of criticism, tempered by His tact and wisdom. Let them revive and
perpetuate the memory of those unforgettable and historic episodes and
occasions on which He so strikingly demonstrated His keen sense of
justice, His spontaneous sympathy for the downtrodden, His ever-abiding
sense of the oneness of the human race, His overflowing love for its
members, and His displeasure with those who dared to flout His wishes, to
deride His methods, to challenge His principles, or to nullify His
acts.
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