A new version of the Bahá’í Reference Library is now available. This ‘old version’ of the Bahá’í Reference Library will be replaced at a later date.
The new version of the Bahá’i Reference Library can be accessed here »
A new version of the Bahá’í Reference Library is now available. This ‘old version’ of the Bahá’í Reference Library will be replaced at a later date.
The new version of the Bahá’i Reference Library can be accessed here »
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Chapter 5: What is a Bahá’í 71 |
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Herbert Spencer once remarked that by no political alchemy
is it possible to get golden conduct out of leaden instincts, and
it is equally true that by no political alchemy is it possible to
make a golden society out of leaden individuals. Bahá’u’lláh,
like all previous Prophets, proclaimed this truth and taught
that in order to establish the Kingdom of God in the world, it
must first be established in the hearts of men. In examining
the Bahá’í teachings, therefore, we shall commence with the
instructions of Bahá’u’lláh for individual conduct, and try to
form a clear picture of what it means to be a Bahá’í.
Living the Life |
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When asked on one occasion: “What is a Bahá’í?” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá
replied: “To be a Bahá’í simply means to love all the
world; to love humanity and try to serve it; to work for
universal peace and universal brotherhood.” On another occasion
He defined a Bahá’í as “one endowed with all the perfections
of man in activity.” In one of His London talks He said
that a man may be a Bahá’í even if He has never heard the
name of Bahá’u’lláh. He added:—
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The man who lives the life according to the teachings
of Bahá’u’lláh is already a Bahá’í. On the other hand, a
man may call himself a Bahá’í for fifty years, and if he
does not live the life he is not a Bahá’í. An ugly man may
call himself handsome, but he deceives no one, and a
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black man may call himself white, yet he deceives no one,
not even himself.
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One who does not know God’s Messengers, however, is like
a plant growing in the shade. Although it knows not the sun,
it is, nevertheless, absolutely dependent on it. The great
Prophets are spirits suns, and Bahá’u’lláh is the sun of this
“day” in which we live. The suns of former days have warmed
and vivified the world, and had those suns not shone, the earth
would not be cold and dead, but it is the sunshine of today
that alone can ripen the fruits which the suns of former days
have kissed into life.
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