Past, Present, and Future
The Current Age:
The medieval ages of darkness have passed away and this century of
radiance has dawned, this century wherein the reality of things is
becoming evident, wherein science is penetrating the mysteries of the
universe, the oneness of the world of humanity is being established,
and service to mankind is the paramount motive of all existence.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal
Peace, p. 369)
For every era hath a spirit; the spirit of this illumined era lieth in
the teachings of Baha'u'llah. For these lay the foundation of the
oneness of the world of humanity and promulgate universal brotherhood.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Selections ...
`Abdu'l-Baha, p. 109)
As we view the world around us, we are compelled to observe the
manifold evidences of that universal fermentation which, in every
continent of the globe and in every department of human life, be it
religious, social, economic or political, is purging and reshaping
humanity in anticipation of the Day when the wholeness of the human
race will have been recognized and its unity established. A
twofold process, however, can be distinguished, each tending, in its
own way and with an accelerated momentum, to bring to a climax the
forces that are transforming the face of our planet. The first is
essentially an integrating process, while the second is fundamentally
disruptive. The former, as it steadily evolves, unfolds a System
which may well serve as a pattern for that world polity towards which a
strangely-disordered world is continually advancing; while the latter,
as its disintegrating influence deepens, tends to tear down, with
increasing violence, the antiquated barriers that seek to block
humanity's progress towards its destined goal. The constructive
process stands associated with the nascent Faith of Baha'u'llah, and is
the harbinger of the New World Order that Faith must erelong
establish. The destructive forces that characterize the other
should be identified with a civilization that has refused to answer to
the expectation of a new age, and is consequently falling into chaos
and decline.
(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Baha'u'llah,
p. 170)
The Past:
For a period of 6,000 years history informs us about the world of
humanity. During these 6,000 years the world of humanity has not been
free from war, strife, murder and bloodthirstiness. In every
period war has been waged in one country or another and that war was
due to either religious prejudice, racial prejudice, political
prejudice or patriotic prejudice.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Selections ...
`Abdu'l-Baha, p. 299)
From the beginning of human history down to this time the world of
humanity has not enjoyed a day of absolute rest and relaxation from
conflict and strife. Most of the wars have been caused by
religious prejudice, fanaticism and sectarian hatred.
Religionists have anathematized religionists, each considering the
other as deprived of the mercy of God, abiding in gross darkness and
the children of Satan. For example, the Christians and Muslims
considered the Jews satanic and the enemies of God. Therefore,
they cursed and persecuted them. Great numbers of Jews were
killed, their houses burned and pillaged, their children carried into
captivity. The Jews in turn regarded the Christians as infidels and the
Muslims as enemies and destroyers of the law of Moses. Therefore,
they call down vengeance upon them and curse them even to this day.
Consider what injuries, ordeals and calamities
have been inflicted upon mankind since the beginning of history.
Every city, country, nation and people has been subjected to the
destruction and havoc of war. Each one of the divine religions
considers itself as belonging to a goodly and blessed tree, the tree of
the Merciful, and all other religious systems as belonging to a tree of
evil, the tree of Satan. For this reason they heap execration and
abuse upon each other. This is clearly apparent in books of
historical record and prevailed until the time of the appearance of
Baha'u'llah.
When the light of Baha'u'llah dawned from the
East, He proclaimed the promise of the oneness of humanity. He
addressed all mankind, saying, "Ye are all the fruits of one
tree. There are not two trees: one a tree of divine mercy,
the other the tree of Satan." Again He said, "Ye are all the fruits of
one tree, the leaves of one branch." This was His announcement;
this was His promise of the oneness of the world of humanity.
Anathema and execration were utterly abrogated. He said, "It is
not becoming in man to curse another; it is not befitting that man
should attribute darkness to another; it is not meet that one human
being should consider another human being as bad; nay, rather, all
mankind are the servants of one God; God is the Father of all; there is
not a single exception to that law. There are no people of Satan;
all belong to the Merciful. There is no darkness; all is light.
All are the servants of God, and man must love humanity from his
heart. He must, verily, behold humanity as submerged in the
divine mercy."
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal
Peace, p. 266)
Consider history. What has brought unity to nations, morality to
peoples and benefits to mankind? If we reflect upon it, we will
find that establishing the divine religions has been the greatest means
toward accomplishing the oneness of humanity. The foundation of
divine reality in religion has done this, not imitations of ancestral
religious forms. Imitations are opposed to each other and have
ever been the cause of strife, enmity, jealousy and war. The
divine religions are collective centers in which diverse standpoints
may meet, agree and unify. They accomplish oneness of native
lands, races and policies. For instance, Christ united various
nations, brought peace to warring peoples and established the oneness
of humankind. The conquering Greeks and Romans, the prejudiced
Egyptians and Assyrians were all in a condition of strife, enmity and
war, but Christ gathered these varied peoples together and removed the
foundations of discord - not through racial, patriotic or political
power, but through divine power, the power of the Holy Spirit.
This was not otherwise possible. All other efforts of men and
nations remain as mere mention in history, without accomplishment.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal
Peace, p. 158)
The Need for Spiritual Civilization:
The winds of despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the
strife that divideth and afflicteth the human race is daily
increasing. The signs of impending convulsions and chaos can now
be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing order appeareth to be
lamentably defective.
(Baha'u'llah: Gleanings, p. 216)
It is now the time in the history of the world for us to strive and
give an impetus to the advancement and development of inner forces -
that is to say, we must arise to service in the world of morality, for
human morals are in need of readjustment. We must also render
service to the world of intellectuality in order that the minds of men
may increase in power and become keener in perception, assisting the
intellect of man to attain its supremacy so that the ideal virtues may
appear.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal
Peace, pp. 325-326)
That which was applicable to human needs during the early history of
the race could neither meet nor satisfy the demands of this day and
period of newness and consummation. Humanity has emerged from its
former degrees of limitation and preliminary training. Man must
now become imbued with new virtues and powers, new moralities, new
capacities. New bounties, bestowals and perfections are awaiting and
already descending upon him. The gifts and graces of the period
of youth, although timely and sufficient during the adolescence of the
world of mankind, are now incapable of meeting the requirements of its
maturity. The playthings of childhood and infancy no longer
satisfy or interest the adult mind.
From every standpoint the world of humanity is
undergoing a reformation. The laws of former governments and
civilizations are in process of revision; scientific ideas and theories
are developing and advancing to meet a new range of phenomena;
invention and discovery are penetrating hitherto unknown fields,
revealing new wonders and hidden secrets of the material universe;
industries have vastly wider scope and production; everywhere the world
of mankind is in the throes of evolutionary activity indicating the
passing of the old conditions and advent of the new age of reformation.
Old trees yield no fruitage; old ideas and methods are obsolete and
worthless now. Old standards of ethics, moral codes and methods
of living in the past will not suffice for the present age of
advancement and progress.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal
Peace, pp. 438-439)
The Dawn of Peace:
This is a new cycle of human power. All the horizons of the world
are luminous, and the world will become indeed as a garden and a
paradise. It is the hour of unity of the sons of men and of the
drawing together of all races and all classes. You are loosed
from ancient superstitions which have kept men ignorant, destroying the
foundation of true humanity.
The gift of God to this enlightened age is the
knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of
religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God
the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world,
and all men will live as brothers.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Abdu'l-Baha in London, pp.
19-20)
The dark ages have disappeared, and the age of light has at last
arrived. The Sun of Reality has dawned with supreme effulgence,
the realities of things have become manifest and renewed, the mysteries
of the unknown have been revealed, and great inventions and discoveries
mark this period as a most wonderful age.
Through the ingenuity and inventions of man it
is possible to cross the wide oceans, fly through the air and travel in
submarine depths. At any moment the Orient and Occident can
communicate with each other. Trains speed across the
continents. The human voice has been arrested and reproduced, and
now man can speak at long distances from any point. These are
some of the signs of this glorious century. The great progress
mentioned has taken place in the material world. Remarkable signs
and evidences have become manifest. Hidden realities and
mysteries have been disclosed. This is the time for man to strive
and put forth his greatest efforts in spiritual directions.
Material civilization has reached an advanced plane, but now there is
need of spiritual civilization. Material civilization alone will
not satisfy; it cannot meet the conditions and requirements of the
present age; its benefits are limited to the world of matter.
There is no limitation to the spirit of man, for spirit in itself is
progressive, and if the divine civilization be established, the spirit
of man will advance. Every developed susceptibility will increase
the effectiveness of man. Discoveries of the real will become
more and more possible, and the influence of divine guidance will be
increasingly recognized. All this is conducive to the divine form
of civilization. This is what is meant in the Bible by the
descent of the New Jerusalem. The heavenly Jerusalem is none
other than divine civilization, and it is now ready. It is to be
and shall be organized, and the oneness of humankind will be a visible
fact. Humanity will then be brought together as one. The
various religions will be united, and different races will be known as
one kind. The Orient and Occident will be conjoined, and the
banner of international peace will be unfurled. The world shall
at last find peace, and the equalities and rights of men shall be
established. The capacity of humankind will be tested, and a degree
shall be attained where equality is a reality.
All the peoples of the world will enjoy like
interests, and the poor shall possess a portion of the comforts of
life. Just as the rich are surrounded by their luxuries in
palaces, the poor will have at least their comfortable and pleasant
places of abode; and just as the wealthy enjoy a variety of food, the
needy shall have their necessities and no longer live in poverty.
In short, a readjustment of the economic order will come about, the
divine Sonship will attract, the Sun of Reality will shine forth, and
all phenomenal being will attain a portion.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal
Peace, pp. 101-102)
The age has dawned when human fellowship will become a reality.
The century has come when all religions shall
be unified.
The dispensation is at hand when all nations
shall enjoy the blessings of international peace.
The cycle has arrived when racial prejudice
will be abandoned by tribes and peoples of the world.
The epoch has begun wherein all native lands
will be conjoined in one great human family.
For all mankind shall dwell in peace and
security beneath the shelter of the great tabernacle of the one living
God.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal
Peace, p. 370)
The Unification of Humanity:
In cycles gone by, though harmony was established, yet, owing to the
absence of means, the unity of all mankind could not have been
achieved. Continents remained widely divided, nay even among the
peoples of one and the same continent association and interchange of
thought were wellnigh impossible. Consequently intercourse,
understanding and unity amongst all the peoples and kindreds of the
earth were unattainable. In this day, however, means of
communication have multiplied, and the five continents of the earth
have virtually merged into one. And for everyone it is now easy
to travel to any land, to associate and exchange views with its
peoples, and to become familiar, through publications, with the
conditions, the religious beliefs and the thoughts of all men. In
like manner all the members of the human family, whether peoples or
governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly
interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer possible,
inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations, and the bonds
of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are being
strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can in this day
be achieved. Verily this is none other but one of the wonders of this
wondrous age, this glorious century. Of this past ages have been
deprived, for this century - the century of light - hath been endowed
with unique and unprecedented glory, power and illumination.
Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh marvel every day.
Eventually it will be seen how bright its candles will burn in the
assemblage of man.
Behold how its light is now dawning upon the
world's darkened horizon. The first candle is unity in the
political realm, the early glimmerings of which can now be discerned.
The second candle is unity of thought in world undertakings, the
consummation of which will erelong be witnessed. The third candle
is unity in freedom which will surely come to pass. The fourth
candle is unity in religion which is the corner-stone of the foundation
itself, and which, by the power of God, will be revealed in all its
splendour. The fifth candle is the unity of nations - a unity which in
this century will be securely established, causing all the peoples of
the world to regard themselves as citizens of one common
fatherland. The sixth candle is unity of races, making of all
that dwell on earth peoples and kindreds of one race. The seventh
candle is unity of language, i.e., the choice of a universal tongue in
which all peoples will be instructed and converse. Each and every
one of these will inevitably come to pass, inasmuch as the power of the
Kingdom of God will aid and assist in their realization.
(`Abdu'l-Baha: Selections ...
`Abdu'l-Baha, pp. 31-32)
The ages of its infancy and childhood are past, never again to return,
while the Great Age, the consummation of all ages, which must signalize
the coming of age of the entire human race, is yet to come. The
convulsions of this transitional and most turbulent period in the
annals of humanity are the essential prerequisites, and herald the
inevitable approach, of that Age of Ages, "the time of the end," in
which the folly and tumult of strife that has, since the dawn of
history, blackened the annals of mankind, will have been finally
transmuted into the wisdom and the tranquility of an undisturbed, a
universal, and lasting peace, in which the discord and separation of
the children of men will have given way to the worldwide
reconciliation, and the complete unification of the divers elements
that constitute human society.
This will indeed be the fitting climax of that
process of integration which, starting with the family, the smallest
unit in the scale of human organization, must, after having called
successively into being the tribe, the city-state, and the nation,
continue to operate until it culminates in the unification of the whole
world, the final object and the crowning glory of human evolution on
this planet. It is this stage which humanity, willingly or
unwillingly, is resistlessly approaching.
(Shoghi Effendi: The Promised Day is Come, pp.
117-118)
The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Baha'u'llah, implies the
establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races,
creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the
autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative
of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely
safeguarded. This commonwealth must, as far as we can visualize
it, consist of a world legislature, whose members will, as the trustees
of the whole of mankind, ultimately control the entire resources of all
the component nations, and will enact such laws as shall be required to
regulate the life, satisfy the needs and adjust the relationships of
all races and peoples. A world executive, backed by an
international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply
the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the
organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will
adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any
disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this
universal system. A mechanism of world inter-communication will
be devised, embracing the whole planet, freed from national hindrances
and restrictions, and functioning with marvellous swiftness and perfect
regularity. A world metropolis will act as the nerve center of a
world civilization, the focus towards which the unifying forces of life
will converge and from which its energizing influences will
radiate. A world language will either be invented or chosen from
among the existing languages and will be taught in the schools of all
the federated nations as an auxiliary to their mother tongue. A
world script, a world literature, a uniform and universal system of
currency, of weights and measures, will simplify and facilitate
intercourse and understanding among the nations and races of
mankind. In such a world society, science and religion, the two
most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate,
and will harmoniously develop. The press will, under such a
system, while giving full scope to the expression of the diversified
views and convictions of mankind, cease to be mischievously manipulated
by vested interests, whether private or public, and will be liberated
from the influence of contending governments and peoples. The
economic resources of the world will be organized, its sources of raw
materials will be tapped and fully utilized, its markets will be
coordinated and developed, and the distribution of its products will be
equitably regulated.
National rivalries, hatreds, and intrigues
will cease, and racial animosity and prejudice will be replaced by
racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of
religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and
restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate
distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on
the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will
disappear. The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war,
whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will
extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the
increase of the productivity of mankind, to the extermination of
disease, to the extension of scientific research, to the raising of the
standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the
human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected
resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the
furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual,
the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.
A world federal system, ruling the whole earth
and exercising unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast
resources, blending and embodying the ideals of both the East and the
West, liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, and bent on the
exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of
the planet, a system in which Force is made the servant of Justice,
whose life is sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by
its allegiance to one common Revelation - such is the goal towards
which humanity, impelled by the unifying forces of life, is moving.
(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Baha'u'llah,
pp. 203-204)
...Whatever our shortcomings may be, and however formidable the forces
of darkness which besiege us to-day, the unification of mankind as
outlined and insured by the World Order of Baha'u'llah will in the
fullness of time be firmly and permanently established. This is
Baha'u'llah's promise, and no power on earth can in the long run
prevent or even retard its adequate realization.
(Shoghi Effendi: Lights of Guidance, p. 130)
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Bahá’ís
of Dana Point, California, USA - all rights reserved.