“It behoveth him who is a wayfarer in the path of God and a wanderer in His way to detach himself from all who are in the heavens and on the earth. He must renounce all save God, that perchance the portals of mercy may be unlocked before his face and the breezes of providence may waft over him. And when he hath inscribed upon his soul that which We have vouchsafed unto him of the quintessence of inner meaning and explanation, he will fathom all the secrets of these allusions, and God shall bestow upon his heart a divine tranquillity and cause him to be of them that are at peace with themselves.”
(Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries)
4 thoughts on “Javahiru’l-Asrar”
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“…genuine detachment from earthly things is achieved when the individual makes the Cause of God the pivot of his life, so that all his personal and material interests may revolve around his Faith. In this case, he can benefit from his material possessions without being attached to them. And since the Cause of God is the prime motivating influence in his life, he will never act against the teachings of his Faith. Every step he takes in his daily activities will be in harmony with the commandments of God. When a person reaches this exalted position, the interests of the Faith take precedence over his personal interests. And when he arises to serve the Cause of God, he will be ready to meet the challenge whatever the cost. Such a person has reached the summit of detachment.
Becoming detached from the things of this world is often a painful process and involves sacrifice. But when the believer gives up something dear to him for the sake of the Cause of God, mysterious forces will be released which will cause the Faith to grow. To offer up one’s time, to labour for the establishment of the Faith in a locality, to give up the comforts of home and to go as a pioneer to foreign lands, to offer up one’s substance for the promotion of the Cause, to be persecuted for one’s faith, and even to give one’s life at the end — all these sacrifices are meritorious in the sight of God and will undoubtedly bring victory to His Cause, provided one’s motives are pure and sincere. That is the essential condition of loyalty and steadfastness in the Covenant of God — purity of motive. Without it one’s deeds are not acceptable by God…”
(Adib Taherzadeh, The Covenant of Baha’u’llah, p. 23-24)
Thank you Jay. I love Adib Taherzadeh’s work. 🙂
Sholeh–I underlined that paragraph in my Gems book, as well. Actually, when I finished it, I immediately started it over again. Such a beautiful work! Then I did a whole series of paintings based on the “wayfarer.” Nice.
You’re welcome Sholeh- we used part of that excerpt at a Devotional Meeting here on Sunday, so it was top of mind- seemed connected on the theme of detachment- if only I had the time to read ALL the books I want to read!!!!! Agreed, Mr. Taherzadeh’s work is awesome! It took me a double take to realize it wasn’t directly from the Writings. ;~)
Lacey, it would be cool to see those paintings!
Let us know if you ever display them?