Evil
25. O SON OF SPIRIT! Vaunt not thyself over the poor, for I lead him
on his way and behold thee in thy evil plight and confound thee for
evermore.
(Baha'u'llah: Arabic Hidden Words, Page: 25)
We, verily, have commanded you to refuse the dictates of your evil
passions and corrupt desires, and not to transgress the bounds which
the Pen of the Most High hath fixed, for these are the breath of life
unto all created things.
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Pages: 19-20)
So bewildered are they in the drunkenness of their evil desires, that
they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose voice
calleth aloud from every direction: "There is none other God but Me,
the Mighty, the All-Wise."
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Page: 33)
For how long will ye worship the idols of your evil passions?
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Page: 34)
Your evil doings can never harm Us, neither can your good works
profit Us.
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Page: 40)
Sorrow not for that which hath befallen thee. Erelong will God raise
up within thee men endued with mighty valour, who will magnify My Name
with such constancy that neither will they be deterred by the evil
suggestions of the divines, nor will they be kept back by the
insinuations of the sowers of doubt. With their own eyes will they
behold God, and with their own lives will they render Him victorious.
These, truly, are of those who are steadfast.
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Aqdas, Pages: 78-79)
Whenever I ponder my evil doings and Thy benevolence, my heart melteth
within me, and my blood boileth in my veins.
(Baha'u'llah: Aqdas: Other Sections, Page: 97)
Thou seest the Dawning Place of Thy signs veiled by evil suggestions:
Where are the fingers of Thy might, O Power of the worlds?
(Baha'u'llah: Baha'i Prayers (US), Pages: 216-217)
O would that I were beneath the depths of the earth, so that my evil
deeds would remain unknown to Thy servants!
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 5)
I know not, O my God, which among my evil doings to mention before the
billowing ocean of Thy favor, nor which of my trespasses to declare
when face to face with the splendors of the suns of Thy goodly gifts
and bounties.
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 7)
By the righteousness of God! We were in no wise connected with that
evil deed, and Our innocence was indisputably established by the
tribunals.
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 20)
O ye followers of this Wronged One! Ye are the shepherds of mankind;
liberate ye your flocks from the wolves of evil passions and desires,
and adorn them with the ornament of the fear of God.
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 29)
And further We have said: "Doth it behoove you to relate yourselves
to Him Who is the God of mercy, and yet commit the things which the
Evil One hath committed?
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 54)
"This servant and the loved ones of God are perplexed. On the one
hand the Pen of the Most High hath forbidden all men to engage in
sedition, contention or conflict, and on the other that same Pen hath
sent down these most sublime words: `Should anyone, in the presence of
the Manifestation, discover an evil intention on the part of any soul,
he must not oppose him, but must leave him to God.' Considering that on
the one hand this binding command is clear and firmly established, and
that on the other calumnies, beyond human strength to bear or endure,
have been uttered, this servant hath chosen to commit this most
grievous sin. I turn suppliantly unto the ocean of God's bounty and
the heaven of Divine mercy, and hope that He will blot out with the pen
of His grace and bounteousness the misdeeds of this servant.
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Pages: 109-110)
The Prophet - may the blessings of God and His salutations be upon
Him - is stated to have said: "In Akka are works of supererogation and
acts which are beneficial, which God vouchsafed specially unto
whomsoever He pleaseth. And he that saith in Akka: `Glorified be God,
and praise be unto God, and there is none other God but God, and most
great is God, and there is no power nor strength except in God, the
Exalted, the Mighty,' God will write down for him a thousand good
deeds, and blot out from him a thousand evil deeds, and will uplift him
a thousand grades in Paradise, and will forgive him his transgressions.
(Baha'u'llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 180)
The Evil One hath stirred up mischief in their hearts, and they are
afflicted with a torment that none can avert. They hasten to the
wicked, bearing the register of the workers of iniquity. Such are
their doings.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 41)
Behold how their evil doings have hindered them from recognizing, in
the Day of Resurrection, the Word of Truth, exalted be His glory. We
cherish the hope that this people will henceforth shield themselves
from vain hopes and idle fancies, and will attain to a true
understanding of the meaning of Divine unity.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 69-70)
Whatever, therefore, He saith unto you is wholly for the sake of God,
that haply the peoples of the earth may cleanse their hearts from the
stain of evil desire, may rend its veil asunder, and attain unto the
knowledge of the one true God - the most exalted station to which any
man can aspire.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 85)
Watch over yourselves, for the Evil One is lying in wait, ready to
entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by
the light of the name of the All-Seeing God, make your escape from the
darkness that surroundeth you. Let your vision be world-embracing,
rather than confined to your own self. The Evil One is he that
hindereth the rise and obstructeth the spiritual progress of the
children of men.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 94)
We beseech God that He may shield His creatures from the evil designs
of His enemies. He verily hath power over all things.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 96)
That which can make Me ashamed is the conduct of such of My followers
as profess to love Me, yet in fact follow the Evil One.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 117-118)
Walk not in the paths of the Evil One.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 126)
God grant that thou who art the fruit of My Tree, and they that are
associated with thee, may be shielded from its evil consequences.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 133)
So bewildered are they in the drunkenness of their evil desires, that
they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose voice
calleth aloud from every direction: "There is none other God but Me,
the Mighty, the All-Wise."
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 138)
. Your evil doings can never harm Us, neither can your good works
profit Us.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 140)
Follow not, O people, the steps of the Evil One; follow ye the Faith
of the All-Merciful, and be ye of them that truly believe.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 146)
Every good thing is of God, and every evil thing is from yourselves. Will ye
not comprehend? This same truth hath been revealed in all the Scriptures, if
ye be of them that understand. Every act ye meditate is as clear to Him as is
that act when already accomplished. There is none other God besides Him.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 149-150)
The Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 168)
Let no one imagine that by Our assertion that all created things are the signs
of the revelation of God is meant that - God forbid - all men, be they good or
evil, pious or infidel, are equal in the sight of God. Nor doth it imply that
the Divine Being - magnified be His name and exalted be His glory - is, under
any circumstances, comparable unto men, or can, in any way, be associated with
His creatures.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 187)
The voice of the Divine Herald, proceeding out of the throne of God,
declareth: O ye My loved ones! Suffer not the hem of My sacred vesture to be
smirched and mired with the things of this world, and follow not the promptings
of your evil and corrupt desires.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 200)
How great, how very great, the gulf that separateth Us from them who, in this
Day, are occupied with their evil passions, and have set their hopes on the
things of the earth and its fleeting glory!
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 201)
Be fair in your judgment. Did they whom you curse, upon whom ye invoke evil,
act differently from yourselves?
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 222)
Follow not, under any condition, the promptings of thine evil desires.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 231)
Know thou for a certainty that whoso disbelieveth in God is neither
trustworthy nor truthful. This, indeed, is the truth, the undoubted truth. He
that acteth treacherously towards God will, also, act treacherously towards his
king. Nothing whatever can deter such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him
from betraying his neighbor, nothing can induce him to walk uprightly.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 232-233)
He that giveth up himself wholly to God, God shall, assuredly, be with him;
and he that placeth his complete trust in God, God shall, verily, protect him
from whatsoever may harm him, and shield him from the wickedness of every evil
plotter.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 233)
In the day time and in the night season, at even and at morn, We pray to God
on thy behalf, that He may graciously aid thee to be obedient unto Him and to
observe His commandment, that He may shield thee from the hosts of the evil
ones.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 240)
Pass beyond the narrow retreats of your evil and corrupt desires, and advance
into the vast immensity of the realm of God, and abide ye in the meads of
sanctity and of detachment, that the fragrance of your deeds may lead the whole
of mankind to the ocean of God's unfading glory.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 241)
That which can hurt Him are the evil deeds which the beloved of God commit,
and which they impute to Him Who is the Sovereign Truth.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 244)
He should cleanse his heart from all evil passions and corrupt desires, for
the fear of God is the weapon that can render him victorious, the primary
instrument whereby he can achieve his purpose.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 272)
Cleanse from your hearts the love of worldly things, from your tongues
every remembrance except His remembrance, from your entire being
whatsoever may deter you from beholding His face, or may tempt you to
follow the promptings of your evil and corrupt inclinations. Let God
be your fear, O people, and be ye of them that tread the path of
righteousness.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 275)
O thou that hast fled thy home and sought the presence of God!
Proclaim unto men the Message of thy Lord, that it may haply deter them
from following the promptings of their evil and corrupt desires, and
bring them to the remembrance of God, the Most Exalted, the Most Great.
Say: Fear God, O people, and refrain from shedding the blood of any
one. Contend not with your neighbor, and be ye of them that do good.
Beware that ye commit no disorders on the earth after it hath been well
ordered, and follow not the footsteps of them that are gone astray.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 276-277)
If Thou smellest from any one the smell of the love of Thy Lord, offer
up Thyself for him, for We have created Thee to this end, and have
covenanted with Thee, from time immemorial, and in the presence of the
congregation of Our well-favored ones, for this very purpose. Be not
impatient if the blind in heart hurl down the shafts of their idle
fancies upon Thee. Leave them to themselves, for they follow the
promptings of the evil ones.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 283-284)
Say: O people of the Bayan! Did We not admonish you, in all Our
Tablets and in all Our hidden Scriptures, not to follow your evil
passions and corrupt inclinations, but to keep your eyes directed
towards the Scene of transcendent glory, on the Day when the Most
Mighty Balance shall be set, the Day when the sweet melodies of the
Spirit of God shall be poured out from the right hand of the throne of
your Lord, the omnipotent Protector, the All-Powerful, the Holy of
Holies?
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 292)
Evil fall upon them, and the chastisement of God, the All-Powerful,
the Almighty, afflict them! By Him Who shineth above the Day Spring of
sanctity!
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 297-298)
Verily I say: Incline your ears to My sweet voice, and sanctify
yourselves from the defilement of your evil passions and corrupt
desires.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 298)
Shield them, I entreat Thee, O my Lord, from the assaults of their
evil passions and desires, and aid them to obtain the things that shall
profit them in this present world and in the next.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 300-301)
I am he, O my Lord, that hath confessed to Thee the multitude of his
evil doings, that hath acknowledged what no man hath acknowledged.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 311)
Retrace your steps, O My servants, and incline your hearts to Him Who
is the Source of your creation. Deliver yourselves from your evil and
corrupt affections, and hasten to embrace the light of the undying Fire
that gloweth on the Sinai of this mysterious and transcendent
Revelation.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 325)
O My servants! Deprive not yourselves of the unfading and resplendent
Light that shineth within the Lamp of Divine glory. Let the flame of
the love of God burn brightly within your radiant hearts. Feed it with
the oil of Divine guidance, and protect it within the shelter of your
constancy. Guard it within the globe of trust and detachment from all
else but God, so that the evil whisperings of the ungodly may not
extinguish its light. O My servants!
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 325-326)
Suffer not your idle fancies, your evil passions, your insincerity
and blindness of heart to dim the luster, or stain the sanctity, of so
lofty a station.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 327)
We, verily, have commanded you to refuse the dictates of your evil
passions and corrupt desires, and not to transgress the bounds which
the Pen of the Most High hath fixed, for these are the breath of life
unto all created things.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Page: 331)
The civilization, so often vaunted by the learned exponents of arts
and sciences, will, if allowed to overleap the bounds of moderation,
bring great evil upon men. Thus warneth you He Who is the All-Knowing.
If carried to excess, civilization will prove as prolific a source of
evil as it had been of goodness when kept within the restraints of
moderation. Meditate on this, O people, and be not of them that wander
distraught in the wilderness of error. The day is approaching when its
flame will devour the cities, when the Tongue of Grandeur will
proclaim: "The Kingdom is God's, the Almighty, the All-Praised!"
All other things are subject to this same principle of moderation.
Render thanks unto thy Lord Who hath remembered thee in this wondrous
Tablet. All-Praise be to God, the Lord of the glorious throne.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, Pages: 342-343)
Say: What! Will ye give that which is for your good in exchange for
that which is evil? Wretched is that which ye have falsely exchanged!
Surely ye are a people, evil, in grievous loss.
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Iqan, Page: 116)
With all his heart should the seeker avoid fellowship with evil
doers, and pray for the remission of their sins. He should forgive the
sinful, and never despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own
end shall be. How often hath a sinner, at the hour of death, attained
to the essence of faith, and, quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken
his flight unto the celestial Concourse. And how often hath a devout
believer, at the hour of his soul's ascension, been so changed as to
fall into the nethermost fire. Our purpose in revealing these
convincing and weighty utterances is to impress upon the seeker that he
should regard all else beside God as transient, and count all things
save Him, Who is the Object of all adoration, as utter nothingness.
(Baha'u'llah: The Kitab-i-Iqan, Pages: 194-195)
In the day-time and in the night season, at even and at morn, We pray
to God on thy behalf, that He may graciously aid thee to be obedient
unto Him and to observe His commandment, that He may shield thee from
the hosts of the evil ones. Do, therefore, as it pleaseth thee, and
treat Us as befitteth thy station and beseemeth thy sovereignty. Be
not forgetful of the law of God in whatever thou desirest to achieve,
now or in the days to come. Say: Praise be to God, the Lord of all
worlds!
(Baha'u'llah: Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 53-54)
The Evil One hath stirred up mischief in their hearts, and they are
afflicted with a torment that none can avert. They hasten to the
wicked, bearing the register of the workers of iniquity. Such are
their doings. Say: The heavens have been folded together, and the earth is held
within His grasp, and the corrupt doers have been held by their
forelock, and still they understand not. They drink of the tainted
water, and know it not. Say: The shout hath been raised, and the
people have come forth from their graves, and arising are gazing around
them. Some have made haste to attain the court of the God of Mercy,
others have fallen down on their faces in the fire of Hell, while still
others are lost in bewilderment. The verses of God have been revealed,
and yet they have turned away from them. His proof hath been
manifested and yet they are unaware of it. And when they behold the
face of the All-Merciful, their own faces are saddened, while they are
disporting themselves. They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake
it for light. Far from God be what they fondly imagine! Say: Whether
ye rejoice or whether ye burst for fury, the heavens are cleft asunder,
and God hath come down, invested with radiant sovereignty. All created
things are heard exclaiming: `The Kingdom is God's, the Almighty, the
All-Knowing, the All-Wise.'
(Baha'u'llah: Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 100-101)
44. O COMPANION OF MY THRONE! Hear no evil, and see no evil, abase not
thyself, neither sigh and weep. Speak no evil, that thou mayest not
hear it spoken unto thee, and magnify not the faults of others that
thine own faults may not appear great; and wish not the abasement of
anyone, that thine own abasement be not exposed. Live then the days of
thy life, that are less than a fleeting moment, with thy mind
stainless, thy heart unsullied, thy thoughts pure, and thy nature
sanctified, so that, free and content, thou mayest put away this mortal
frame, and repair unto the mystic paradise and abide in the eternal
kingdom for evermore.
(Baha'u'llah: Persian Hidden Words, Page: 44)
I implore Thee, O Beloved of my heart and the Object of my soul's
adoration, to shield them that love me from the faintest trace of evil
and corrupt desires.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 9)
I implore Thee, O Thou Who art the beloved Companion of Baha, by Thy
name, the All-Glorious, to keep safe these Thy servants under the
shadow of the wings of Thine all-encompassing mercy, that the darts of
the evil suggestions of the wicked doers among Thy creatures, who have
disbelieved in Thy signs, may be kept back from them.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 16)
Praised be Thou, O Lord my God! I implore Thee by Thine Ancient
Beauty and Most Great Name, Whom Thou hast sacrificed that all the
dwellers of Thine earth and heaven may be born anew, and Whom Thou hast
cast into prison that mankind may, as a token of Thy bounty and of Thy
sovereign might, be released from the bondage of evil passions and
corrupt desires, to number me with those who have so deeply inhaled the
fragrance of Thy mercy, and hastened with such speed unto the living
waters of Thy grace, that no dart could hinder them from turning unto
Thee, nor any spear from setting their faces towards the orient of Thy
Revelation.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 44)
Every time any one of them testifieth before Thee to his evil doings,
shame covereth my face, for they are Thy servants who have tasted of
the cup of woe in Thy Cause, who have quaffed from the chalice of
adversity when the light of Thy countenance was lifted upon them, and
who were so vexed by trials that peace was utterly denied them within
the precincts of Thy court.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 61)
Do Thou accept all that we have done for love of Thee, and for the
sake of Thy pleasure, and all that we have left undone as a result of
our subjection to our evil and corrupt desires.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 84)
I entreat Thee, therefore, O my God, by Thy name by which Thou hast
separated between truth and denial, to purify their hearts of all evil
suggestions, and to enable them to draw nigh unto Him Who is the Day-
Spring of Thy names and Thine attributes.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Pages: 107-108)
Supply us also with that which is best for us, and write us down with
such of Thy servants as have repudiated the Idol (Mirza Yahya), and
firmly believed in Thee, and been so established on the throne of
certitude that the whisperings of the Evil One have been powerless to
hinder them from turning their faces towards Thy name, the All-
Merciful.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 132)
This is the Sun that shineth in the heaven of Thy will and the
splendor of which the veils of the workers of iniquity and the doubts
of the evil doers can never cloud.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 154)
I know not, O my God, how long will Thy creatures continue to
slumber on the bed of forgetfulness and evil desires, and remain far
removed from Thee and shut out from Thy presence. Draw them nearer, O
my God, unto the scene of Thine effulgent glory, and enrapture their
hearts with the sweet savors of Thine inspiration, through which they
who adore Thy unity have soared on the wings of desire towards Thee,
and they who are devoted to Thee have reached unto Him Who is the
Dawning-Place of the Day-Star of Thy creation.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 201)
I implore Thee, O my God, by Thy mercy that hath surpassed all
created things, and to which all that are immersed beneath the oceans
of Thy names bear witness, not to abandon me unto my self, for my heart
is prone to evil. Guard me, then, within the stronghold of Thy
protection and the shelter of Thy care. I am he, O my God, whose only
wish is what Thou hast determined by the power of Thy might. All I have
chosen for myself is to be assisted by Thy gracious appointments and
the ruling of Thy will, and to be aided with the tokens of Thy decree
and judgment.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 210)
Enrapture my soul, O my Lord, with Thy most mighty signs, and draw me
out of the depths of my corrupt and evil desires.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 216)
Attire, O my Lord, both my inner and outer being with the raiment of
Thy favors and Thy loving-kindness. Keep me safe, then, from whatsoever
may be abhorrent unto Thee, and graciously assist me and my kindred to
obey Thee, and to shun whatsoever may stir up any evil or corrupt
desire within me.
(Baha'u'llah: Prayers and Meditations, Page: 225)
Some Answered Questions, by `Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 124-125:
For the spirit and the soul of Adam, when they were attached
to the human world, passed from the world of freedom into the
world of bondage, and His descendants continued in bondage.
This attachment of the soul and spirit to the human world,
which is sin, was inherited by the descendants of Adam,
and is the serpent which is always in the midst of, and at
enmity with, the spirits and the descendants of Adam. That
enmity continues and endures. For attachment to the world has
become the cause of the bondage of spirits, and this bondage
is identical with sin, which has been transmitted from Adam to
His posterity. It is because of this attachment that men have
been deprived of essential spirituality and exalted position.
Some Answered Questions, by `Abdu'l-Bahá, pp. 263-265:
The epitome of this discourse is that it is possible that
one thing in relation to another may be evil, and at the
same time within the limits of its proper being it may not
be evil. Then it is proved that there is no evil in existence;
all that God created He created good. This evil is nothingness;
so death is the absence of life. When man no longer receives
life, he dies. Darkness is the absence of light: when there is
no light, there is darkness. Light is an existing thing, but
darkness is nonexistent. Wealth is an existing thing, but
poverty is nonexisting. Then it is evident that all evils
return to nonexistence. Good exists; evil is nonexistent.
(Baha'u'llah: Tablets of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 176-177)
This lowly one hath read the descriptions of the dialogue with the traveller
which thou hast recounted in thy letter to my Lord, may my life be offered
up for His sake. The explanations which were set forth awaken the people
from the slumber of heedlessness. Indeed the actions of man himself breed a
profusion of satanic power. For were men to abide by and observe the divine
teachings, every trace of evil would be banished from the face of the earth.
However, the widespread differences that exist among mankind and the
prevalence of sedition, contention, conflict and the like are the primary
factors which provoke the appearance of the satanic spirit. Yet the Holy
Spirit hath ever shunned such matters. A world in which naught can be
perceived save strife, quarrels and corruption is bound to become the seat
of the throne, the very metropolis, of Satan.
Antinomies....
1996 - 2000
|