O SON OF DUST!
Verily I say unto thee: Of all men the most
negligent is he that disputeth idly and seeketh to advance himself over
his brother. Say, O brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.
(Baha'u'llah, The Persian Hidden Words)
Say:
Let truthfulness and courtesy be your adorning. 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 Baha, 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. Through them the brightness of your light can be shed upon
the whole earth. Happy is the man that heedeth My counsel, and keepeth
the precepts prescribed by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 305)
Every
eye, in this Day, should seek what will best promote the Cause of God.
He, Who is the Eternal Truth, beareth Me witness! Nothing whatsoever
can, in this Day, inflict a greater harm upon this Cause than
dissension and strife, contention, estrangement and apathy, among the
loved ones of God. Flee them, through the power of God and His
sovereign aid, and strive ye to knit together the hearts of men, in His
Name, the Unifier, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 8)
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.
(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 16)
O
ye Cohorts of God! Through the protection and help of the Blessed
Perfection -- may my life be a sacrifice to His beloved ones! -- you
must conduct and deport yourselves in such a manner that you may stand
out among other souls distinguished by a brilliancy like unto the sun.
If any one of you enters a city he must become the center of attraction
because of the sincerity, faithfulness, love, honesty, fidelity,
truthfulness and loving-kindness of his disposition and nature toward
all the inhabitants of the world, that the people of the city may all
cry out: "This person is unquestionably a Bahá'í; for his manners, his
behavior, his conduct, his morals, his nature and his disposition are
of the attributes of the Bahá'ís."
(Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 400)
Without
the spirit of real love for Bahá'u'lláh, for His Faith and its
Institutions, and the believers for each other, the Cause can never
really bring in large numbers of people. For it is not preaching and
rules the world wants, but love and action.
(From a letter dated 25 October 1949 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer)
One
thing and only one thing will unfailingly and alone secure the
undoubted triumph of this sacred Cause, namely, the extent to which our
own inner life and private character mirror forth in their manifold
aspects the splendor of those eternal principles proclaimed by
Bahá'u'lláh.
(Shoghi Effendi, Baha'i Administration, p. 66)
Upon
the extent to which these basic requirements are met, and the manner in
which the American believers fulfill them in their individual lives,
administrative activities, and social relationships, must depend the
measure of the manifold blessings which the All-Bountiful Possessor can
vouchsafe to them all. These requirements are none other than a high
sense of moral rectitude in their social and administrative activities,
absolute chastity in their individual lives, and complete freedom from
prejudice in their dealings with peoples of a different race, class,
creed, or color.
(Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 21)
