FIRMNESS IN THE COVENANT

                                     A pillar of strength


There are many Writings and prayers revealed for us by Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá on how to become firm in the Covenant, to be this immovable rock. The word "steadfast" comes to mind when I think of being firm in the Covenant. When one searches and finds the Truth through one's own investigation and not through the blind imitations of others, one then wants to increase one's Faith, steadfastness and firmness. To reach one hundred percent Faith is called certitude. We are all striving to reach that lofty station.
Here is one of the many prayers revealed by the Beloved Master on firmness in the Covenant:

Make firm our steps, O Lord, in Thy path and strengthen Thou our hearts in Thine obedience. Turn our faces toward the beauty of Thy oneness, and gladden our bosoms with the signs of Thy divine unity. Adorn our bodies with the robe of Thy bounty, and remove from our eyes the veil of sinfulness, and give us the chalice of Thy grace; that the essence of all beings may sing Thy praise before the vision of Thy grandeur. Reveal then Thyself, O Lord, by Thy merciful utterance and the mystery of Thy divine being, that the holy ecstasy of prayer may fill our souls—a prayer that shall rise above words and letters and transcend the murmur of syllables and sounds—that all things may be merged into nothingness before the revelation of Thy splendor.

Lord! These are servants that have remained fast and firm in Thy Covenant and Thy Testament, that have held fast unto the cord of constancy in Thy Cause and clung unto the hem of the robe of Thy grandeur. Assist them, O Lord, with Thy grace, confirm with Thy power and strengthen their loins in obedience to Thee.

Thou art the Pardoner, the Gracious.

Attacks on the Covenant of God

Could you ever imagine someone attacking the Cause of God? Who would dare to do such a thing? Who would cause harm to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá?


Well, this sort of thing has happened every time a Manifestation of God comes to us. Often, it is His own followers and even family members who seek power and control. This happened during Baha'u'llah's own lifetime with His half brother, Mirza Yahya. And ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had to deal with his half-brother as well as other family members. They caused great sufferings to the heart of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.


This half-brother of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá held a rank second to none. Mirza Muhammad-'Ali would have succeeded the Master if He passed away. However, that was not to be. He did outlive Abdu'l-Baha by twenty years. The Guardian in his God Passes By shares with us that Mirza Muhammad-'Ali "created an irreparable breach within the ranks of Baha'u'llah's own kindred, sealed ultimately the fate of the great majority of the members of His family, and gravely damaged the prestige, through it never succeeded in causing a permanent cleavage in the structure, of the Faith itself. The true ground of this crisis was the burning, the uncontrollable, the soul-festering jealousy which the admitted preeminence of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in rank, power, ability, knowledge and virtue, above all the other members of His Father’s family, had aroused not only in Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí, the archbreaker of the Covenant, but in some of his closest relatives as well. An envy as blind as that which had possessed the soul of Mírzá Yaḥyá, as deadly as that which the superior excellence of Joseph had kindled in the hearts of his brothers, as deep-seated as that which had blazed in thebosom of Cain and prompted him to slay his brother Abel, had, for several years, prior to Bahá’u’lláh’s ascension, been smouldering in the recesses of Mírzá Muḥammad-‘Alí’s heart and had been secretly inflamed by those unnumbered marks of distinction, of admiration and favor accorded to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá not only by Bahá’u’lláh Himself, His companions and His followers, but by the vast number of unbelievers who had come to recognize that innate greatness which ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had manifested from childhood.

The intensity of the emotions which this somber episode aroused within Him were reminiscent of the effect produced upon Bahá’u’lláh by the dire happenings precipitated by therebellion of Mírzá Yaḥyá. “I swear by the Ancient Beauty!,” He wrote in one of His Tablets, “So great is My sorrow and regret that My pen is paralyzed between My fingers.” “Thou seest Me,” He, in a prayer recorded in His Will, thus laments, “submerged in an ocean of calamities that overwhelm the soul, of afflictions that oppress the heart… Sore trials have compassed Me round, and perils have from all sides beset Me. Thou seest Me immersed in a sea of unsurpassed tribulation, sunk into a fathomless abyss, afflicted by Mine enemies and consumed with the flame of hatred kindled by My kinsmen with whom Thou didst make Thy strong Covenant and Thy firm Testament…”"


So what happened to this half-brother? "Surviving ‘Abdu’l-Bahá by almost twenty years," Shoghi Effendi writes in God Passes By, "he who had so audaciously affirmed to His face that he had no assurance he might outlive Him, lived long enough to witness the utter bankruptcy of his cause, leading meanwhile a wretched existence within the walls of a Mansion that had once housed a crowd of his supporters; was denied by the civil authorities, as a result of the crisis he had after ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s passing foolishly precipitated, the official custody of his Father’s Tomb; was compelled, a few years later, to vacate that same Mansion, which, through his flagrant neglect, had fallen into a dilapidated condition; was stricken with paralysis which crippled half his body; lay bedridden in pain for months before he died; and was buried according to Muslim rites, in the immediate vicinity of a local Muslim shrine, his grave remaining until the present day devoid of even a tombstone—a pitiful reminder of the hollowness of the claims he had advanced, of the depths of infamy to which he had sunk, and of the severity of the retribution his acts had so richly merited."


Those who opposed the Cause of God were thrown into darkness. In this day, those who attack the Faith of God and beat at its roots, are thrown out because they are likened unto poison who can contaminate the rest of the body.  We are commanded to shun Covenant-Breakers and avoid them at all cost.  


The Faith of God goes through crisis and victory to purify its followers and to show that it is truly the Faith of God. Every time the Cause went through a crisis, it emerged stronger than ever!


So, we are ever grateful to have the beloved Master who kept the Faith of God unified and moving along its destiny.  This is the Power of the Covenant!

To consecrate myself in Thy service

While on the topic of servitude, there is a prayer that I wanted to share which touched my heart.  It is a prayer for assisting us to teach the Cause of God.  In this prayer revealed by the Beloved Master, we ask God to have no desire in our heart save to attain His good pleasure because as human beings we may have other desires born out of selfish reasons.  We have to continually strive to improve each day by reflecting on our actions, by making the necessary adjustments, by praying and medidating... We ask God to consecrate ourselves to His service.  Consecrate is an adjective which means to be "dedicated to a sacred purpose" according to the Merriam-Webster.  The synonyms according to this same dictionary are "blessed," "holy," "sacred." It is interesting to note that the Master chose this word.  The imagery raises one's consciousness and reflection of what it really means to consecrate one's being to service.  When I think of consecrate, I think of total dedication and focus towards service.  This involves sacrifice of time, energy, material means, being away perhaps from loved ones... The Master goes on to use the word "labor" as well as "sacrifice". It takes hard work as anyone who has experienced the birth of his/her child knows what labor entails.  He goes on to say that we need to loudly proclaim the Cause of God and "to raise Thy call".  Teaching the Cause of God is a commandment Bahá'u'lláh has enjoined upon us!  What a bounty we have been given!  Then we ask God to show us the way, to endure any ordeal in His path (remember that we are laboring), and even desire to meet any hardship. Why would we want to have hardships? Because with test we grow.  And so right after this, the Master writes: "Protect me from tests."  These are just my humble thoughts and this prayer is loaded with many layers of spiritual meanings like an ocean that has many pearls to be discovered.  


Here is the prayer:


Thou knowest, O God, and art my witness that I have no desire in my heart save to attain Thy good pleasure, to be confirmed in servitude unto Thee, to consecrate myself in Thy service, to labor in Thy great vineyard and to sacrifice all in Thy path.  Thou art the All-Knowing and the All-Seeing.  I have no wish save to turn my steps, in my love for Thee, towards the mountains and the deserts to loudly proclaim the advent of Thy Kingdom, and to raise Thy call amidst all men.  O God!  Open Thou the way for this helpless one, grant Thou the remedy to this ailing one and bestow Thy healing upon this afflicted one.  With burning heart and tearful eyes I supplicate Thee at Thy Threshold.
O God!  I am prepared to endure any ordeal in Thy path and desire with all my heart and soul to meet any hardship.
O God!  Protect me from tests.  Thou knowest full well that I have turned away from all things and freed myself of all thoughts.  I have no occupation save mention of Thee and no aspiration save serving Thee. 

                                                                      ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

Give me to drink from the chalice of selflessness

If one has the bounty of going on Pilgrimage to Haifa, for a three day visit, or for service, one has the inestimable privilege of praying in the Shrines.  It was really a bounty for me to be able to go to the Shrines while serving in Haifa.  One develops reverence, love, and appreciation while in the Shrines.  One hopefully also develops selflessness:  "Lord! Give me to drink from the chalice of selflessness...Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones..." This prayer that is often recited in the Shrine of  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is laden with spiritual meaning.  I wanted to share this prayer with you:

(This prayer, revealed by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, is read at His Shrine. It is also used in private prayer.)

Whoso reciteth this prayer with lowliness and fervor will bring gladness and joy to the heart of this Servant; it will be even as meeting Him face to face.

He is the All-Glorious!

O God, my God! Lowly and tearful, I raise my suppliant hands to Thee and cover my face in the dust of that Threshold of Thine, exalted above the knowledge of the learned, and the praise of all that glorify Thee. Graciously look upon Thy servant, humble and lowly at Thy door, with the glances of the eye of Thy mercy, and immerse him in the Ocean of Thine eternal grace.

Lord! He is a poor and lowly servant of Thine, enthralled and imploring Thee, captive in Thy hand, praying fervently to Thee, trusting in Thee, in tears before Thy face, calling to Thee and beseeching Thee, saying:

O Lord, my God! Give me Thy grace to serve Thy loved ones, strengthen me in my servitude to Thee, illumine my brow with the light of adoration in Thy court of holiness, and of prayer to Thy kingdom of grandeur. Help me to be selfless at the heavenly entrance of Thy gate, and aid me to be detached from all things within Thy holy precincts. Lord! Give me to drink from the chalice of selflessness; with its robe clothe me, and in its ocean immerse me. Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and grant that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps of Thy chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest.

With this prayer doth Thy servant call Thee, at dawntide and in the night-season. Fulfill his heart’s desire, O Lord! Illumine his heart, gladden his bosom, kindle his light, that he may serve Thy Cause and Thy servants.

Thou art the Bestower, the Pitiful, the Most Bountiful, the Gracious, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Here is one more quote by the Beloved Master for us to ponder on:

"O ye loved ones of God! In this, the Bahá’í dispensation, God’s Cause is spirit unalloyed. His Cause belongeth not to the material world. It cometh neither for strife nor war, nor for acts of mischief or of shame; it is neither for quarrelling with other Faiths, nor for conflicts with the nations. Its only army is the love of God, its only joy the clear wine of His knowledge, its only battle the expounding of the Truth; its one crusade is against the insistent self, the evil promptings of the human heart. Its victory is to submit and yield, and to be selfless is its everlasting glory." (Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá) 

The Rank and Station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Part 2

That ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is not a Manifestation of God, that He gets His light, His inspiration and sustenance direct from the Fountain-head of the Bahá’í Revelation; that He reflects even as a clear and perfect Mirror the rays of Bahá’u’lláh’s glory, and does not inherently possess that indefinable yet all-pervading reality the exclusive possession of which is the hallmark of Prophethood; that His words are not equal in rank, though they possess an equal validity with the utterances of Bahá’u’lláh;...

My name is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My qualification is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My reality is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. My praise is ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. Thraldom to the Blessed Perfection is my glorious and refulgent diadem, and servitude to all the human race my perpetual religion… No name, no title, no mention, no commendation have I, nor will ever have, except ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. This is my longing. This is my greatest yearning. This is my eternal life. This is my everlasting glory.”

                                          (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)


Man has to control his ego and humble himself to serve humanity.  The Universal House of Justice have encouraged us to walk a path of service with a humble posture of learning.  One cannot be arrogant in serving the Cause of God.  This is a defect that man must fight each day if one wants to attain the good pleasure of His Lord.  ‘Abdu’l-Bahá sets the tone for all of us to forget oneself and to work for the reconstruction of the world.  He didn't take on any titles but wanted to be known for being the Servant of God.  We also have to be careful as we "scale the heights of service" not to serve so that we seek recognition from others which is so common in the corporate world.  We serve for the love of God.  Those who had pride during the life of the Manifestations of God as well as the Beloved Master were utterly destroyed spiritually.  



This is one of my favorite passages from ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:

In the religion of Bahá’u’lláh all are servants and maidservants, brothers and sisters. As soon as one feels a little better than, a little superior to, the rest, he is in a dangerous position, and unless he castsaway the seed of such an evil thought, he is not a fit instrument for the service of the Kingdom.

The Rank and Station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Part 1

It is important for us to understand the rank and station of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá as He is a unique Figure in human history.  Shoghi Effendi takes us through this explanation:

An attempt I strongly feel should now be made to clarify our minds regarding the station occupied by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the significance of His position in this holy Dispensation. It would be indeed difficult for us, who stand so close to such a tremendous figure and are drawn by the mysterious power of so magnetic a personality, to obtain a clear and exact understanding of the rôle and character of One Who, not only in the Dispensation of Bahá’u’lláh but in the entire field of religious history, fulfills a unique function. Though moving in a sphere of His own and holding a rank radically different from that of the Author and the Forerunner of the Bahá’í Revelation, He, by virtue of the station ordained for Him through the Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh, forms together with them what may be termed the Three Central Figures of a Faith that stands unapproached in the world’s spiritual history. He towers, in conjunction with them, above the destinies of this infant Faith of God from a level to which no individual or body ministering to its needs after Him, and for no less a period than a full thousand years, can ever hope to rise. To degrade His lofty rank by identifying His station with or by regarding it as roughly equivalent to, the position of those on whom the mantle of His authority has fallen would be an act of impiety as grave as the no less heretical belief that inclines to exalt Him to a state of absolute equality with either the central Figure or Forerunner of our Faith. For wide as is the gulf that separates ‘Abdu’l-Bahá from Him Who is the Source of an independent Revelation, it can never be regarded as commensurate with the greater distance that stands between Him Who is the Center of the Covenant and His ministers who are to carry on His work, whatever be their name, their rank, their functions or their future achievements. Let those who have known ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, who through their contact with His magnetic personality have come to cherish for Him so fervent an admiration, reflect, in the light of this statement, on the greatness of One Who is so far above Him in station.

That ‘Abdu’l-Bahá is not a Manifestation of God, that, though the successor of His Father, He does not occupy a cognate station, that no one else except the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh can ever lay claim to such a station before the expiration of a full thousand years—are verities which lie embedded in the specific utterances of both the Founder of our Faith and the Interpreter of His teachings.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s own statements, in confirmation of this warning, are no less emphatic and binding: “This is,” He declares, “my firm, my unshakable conviction, the essence of my unconcealed and explicit belief—a conviction and belief which the denizens of the Abhá Kingdom fully share: The Blessed Beauty is the Sun of Truth, and His light the light of truth. The Báb is likewise the Sun of Truth, and His light the light of truth… My station is the station of servitude—a servitude which is complete, pure and real, firmly established, enduring, obvious, explicitly revealed and subject to no interpretation whatever… I am the Interpreter of the Word of God; such is my interpretation.” (Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh)

The Interpreter of His mind

Rooms of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá and the Báb

The Guardian beautifully describes the Beloved Master as "the Interpreter of His [Bahá’u’lláh] mind."  And before that "the Exemplar of His faith."  As Baha'is we can never hope to be like the Manifestations of God.  However, we can strive to follow in the examples of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá.

"His own beloved Son, the apple of His eye, His vicegerent on earth, the Executive of His authority, the Pivot of His Covenant, the Shepherd of His flock, the Exemplar of His faith, the Image of His perfections, the Mystery of His Revelation, the Interpreter of His mind, the Architect of His World Order, the Ensign of His Most Great Peace, the Focal Point of His unerring guidance—in a word, the occupant of an office without peer or equal in the entire field of religious history—stood guard over it, alert, fearless and determined to enlarge its limits, blazon abroad its fame, champion its interests and consummate its purpose.

The stirring proclamation ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had penned, addressed to the rank and file of the followers of His Father, on the morrow of His ascension, as well as the prophecies He Himself had uttered in His Tablets, breathed a resolve and a confidence which the fruits garnered and the triumphs achieved in the course of a thirty-year ministry have abundantly justified." (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By)