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The Role of the Individual in the Growth of the Bahá'í Faith
By the righteousness of God! Whoso openeth his lips in this Day and maketh
mention of the name of his Lord, the hosts of Divine inspiration shall descend upon him from the heaven of My name, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. On him shall also descend the Concourse on high, each bearing aloft a chalice of pure light.
The role of the individual is of unique importance in the work of the Cause. It
is the individual who manifests the vitality of faith upon which the success of
the teaching work and the development of the community depend. Bahá'u'lláh's
command to each believer to teach His Faith confers an inescapable
responsibility which cannot be transferred to, or assumed by, any institution of the Cause. The individual alone can exercise those capacities which include the ability to take initiative, to seize opportunities, to form friendships, to interact personally with others, to build relationships, to win the cooperation of others in common service to the Faith and society, and to convert into action the decisions made by consultative bodies. It is the individual's duty to "consider every avenue of approach which he might utilize in his personal attempts to capture the attention, maintain the interest, and deepen the faith, of those he seeks to bring into the fold of his Faith.'
To optimize these capacities, the individual draws upon his love for Bahá'u'lláh the power of the Covenant, the dynamics of prayer, the inspiration and education derived from regular reading and study of the Holy Texts, and the transformative forces that operate upon his soul as he strives to behave in accordance with the divine laws and principles. !n addition to these, the individual, having been given the duty to teach the Cause, is endowed with the capacity to attract particular blessings promised by Bahá'u'lláh.
(THE FOUR YEAR PLAN: Messages of the Universal House of Justice, 3.20,3.21, pp.
31-32)
The people of Bahá must serve the Lord with wisdom, teach others by their lives, and manifest the light of God in their deeds. The effect of deeds is in truth more powerful than that of words.-Bahá'u'lláh(Gleanings: p 278
The Pen of the Most High hath decreed and imposed upon every one the obligation
to teach this Cause....God will, no doubt, inspire whosoever detacheth himself
from all else but Him, and will cause the pure waters of wisdom and utterance to gush out and flow copiously from his heart. Verily, thy Lord, the All-Merciful, is powerful to do as He willeth, and ordaineth whatsoever He pleaseth.
Wert thou to consider this world, and realize how fleeting are the things that
pertain unto it, thou wouldst choose to tread no path except the path of service to the Cause of thy Lord. None would have the power to deter thee from
celebrating His praise, though all men should arise to oppose thee.
Go thou straight on and persevere in His service. Say: O people! .The Day
promised unto you in all the Scriptures is now come. Fear ye God, and withhold
not yourselves from recognizing the One Who is the Object of your creation.
Hasten ye unto Him. Better is this for you than the world and all that is
therein. Would that ye could but perceive it!-Bahá'u'lláh (Gleanings CXLIV: p. 314)
Say: o brethren! Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.-Bahá'u'lláh
(Hidden Words- Pers. #5 pp., 23-24 )
O SON OF MAN!
Magnify My cause that I may reveal unto thee the mysteries of My greatness and
shine upon thee with the light of eternity.--Bahá'u'lláh (Hidden Words, AR. ~1: p. 13) O SON OF BEING!
Make mention of Me on My earth, that in heaven I may remember thee, thus shall
Mine eyes and thine be solaced.-Bahá'u'lláh(Hidden Words, AR. ~43: p. 13)
QUALITIES OF TEACHERS AND TEACHING
How great the blessedness that awaiteth him that hath attained the honor of
serving the Almighty! By My life! No act, however great, can compare with it,
except such deeds as have been ordained by God, the All-Powerful, the Most
Mighty. Such a service is, indeed, the prince of all goodly deeds, and the
ornament of every goodly act. Thus hath it been ordained by Him Who is the
Sovereign Revealer, the Ancient of Days.
Whoso ariseth to teach Our Cause, must needs detach himself from all earthly
things, and regard, at all times, the triumph of Our Faith as his supreme
objective...And when he determineth to leave his home, for the sake of the Cause of his Lord, let him put his whole trust in God, as the best provision for his journey, and array himself with the robe of virtue...If he be kindled with the fire of His love, if he forgoeth all created things, the words he uttereth shallset on fire them that hear him.-Bahá'u'lláh(Gleanings: pp. 334-335)
God hath prescribed unto every one the duty of teaching His Cause. Whoever
ariseth to discharge this duty, must needs, ere he proclaimeth His message,
adorn himself with the ornament of an upright and praiseworthy character, so
that his words may attract the hearts of such as are receptive to his call.
Without it, he can never hope to influence his hearers.-Bahá'u'lláh
(Gleanings: pp. 334-335)
Whoso ariseth among you to teach the Cause of his Lord, let him, before all
else, teach his own self, that his speech may attract the hearts of them that
hear him. Unless he teacheth his own self, the words of his mouth will not
influence the heart of the seeker. Take heed, O people, lest ye be of them that
give good counsel to others but forget to follow it themselves.-Bahá'u'lláh
(Gleanings: p. 277)
Say: Teach ye the Cause of God, 0 people of Bahá, for God hath proscribed unto
every one the duty of proclaiming His message, and regardeth it as the most
meritorious of all deeds. Such a deed is only acceptable when he that teacheth
the Cause is already a firm believer in God, the Supreme Protector, the
Gracious, the Almighty. He hath, moreover, ordained that His Cause be taught
through the power of men's utterance and not through violence...Beware lest ye
contend with anyone, nay, strive to make him aware of the truth with kindly
manner and most convincing exhortation.
If your hearer respond, he will have responded to his own behoof, and if not, turn ye away from him, and set your faces towards God's sacred Court, the seat of resplendent holiness.
Dispute not with anyone concerning the things of this world and its affairs, for God hath abandoned them to such as have set their affection upon them.
-Bahá'u'lláh(Gleanings: pp. 278-279)
Teach thou the Cause of God with an utterance which will cause the bushes to be
enkindled....Say: Human utterance is an essence which aspireth to exert its
influence and needeth moderation. As to its influence, this is conditional upon
refinement which in turn is dependent upon hearts which are detached and pure.
As to its moderation, this hath to be combined with tact and wisdom as
prescribed in the holy Scriptures and Tablets.
-Bahá'u'lláh(Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh: p. 143)
O My Name! Utterance must needs possess penetrating power. For if bereft of this quality it would fail to exert influence. And this penetrating influence
dependeth upon the spirit being pure and the heart stainless. Likewise it
needeth moderation, without which the hearer would be unable to bear it, rather, he would manifest opposition from the very outset. And moderation will be obtained by blending utterance with tokens of divine wisdom which are recorded in the sacred Books and Tablets. Thus when the essence of one's utterance is endowed with these two requisites it will prove highly effective and will be the prime factor in transforming the souls of men. This is the station of supreme victory and celestial dominion.
Whoso attaineth thereto is invested with the power to teach the Cause of God and prevail over the hearts and minds of men...This is but a token of His grace especially conferred upon His loved onesthat every one of them may attain the station characterized by these words:
'Whoso quickeneth a soul hath verily quickened all mankind .'
Temporal ascendancy hath been and will continue to be under the shadow of this
station. Its appointed hour is preordained in the Book of God. He is truly
cognizant thereof and it will be manifested through the potency of His might.
Verily He is the Powerful, the All-Subduing, the Omnipotent, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.:World Clock here
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