Sundaymail Editor
Flora Teckie
A Bahá’í Perspective
THE primary purpose of God in revealing His will through His messengers is to effect a transformation in the moral and material conditions of humanity.
Thus, our efforts to conform to the laws and teachings of God should be a necessary consequence of our belief in Him, and it is natural that our belief in God should be translated into constructive deeds.
Our moral and spiritual advancement is crucial to our well-being in both this life and the next.
As Bahá’u’lláh, the founder of the Bahá’í Faith, counsels: “Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting.”
God has given us free will.
We have the choice between justice and injustice, and the power both to do good and to do evil.
Therefore, we are responsible for our actions.
We have the capacity to override the needs of our lower nature in keeping with ethical requirements.
We also have the capacity to control and channel our natural drives and urges, and strive daily to improve our inner lives.
But from where do we get our basic moral code?
The moral code that has the transformative power for action originates from the guidance given to us by our Creator.
According to the Bahá’í Writings: “… the foundation of success and salvation is the knowledge of God, and that the results of the knowledge of God are the good actions which are the fruits of faith.”
Personal effort and exertion are vital prerequisites
To recognise what is moral and ethical is not enough.
We should consciously and actively be engaged in performing deeds that promote individual and social transformation.
Bahá’u’lláh says: “The incomparable Creator hath created all men from one same substance, and hath exalted their reality above the rest of His creatures. Success or failure, gain or loss, must, therefore, depend upon man’s own exertions. The more he striveth, the greater will be his progress.”
Our efforts to develop spiritual qualities require perseverance.
Belief in the immortality of the soul and in an all-knowing judging God ought to provide us with sufficient motivation for moral conduct.
Yet, the highest morality does not consist in actions performed in the hope of heavenly reward or in fear of punishment: good deeds should be done for the sake of God and because of our love for Him and humanity.
The Universal House of Justice, the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith, says: “It is evident that, if the body and mind are to maintain good health, the laws that govern physical existence cannot be ignored … In the same way, there are laws and principles that govern our spiritual lives, and attention to them is of vital importance if the individual and society as a whole are to develop in a sound and harmonious manner.”
Belief must lead to action
There is a tendency to promote a passive concept of a moral person: to be good meaning to keep out of trouble.
But to keep out of trouble or to know what is moral and ethical is not enough.
To become a moral person, one should put this knowledge into action.
Bahá’u’lláh says “the essence of faith is fewness of words and abundance of deeds” and “let your acts be a guide unto all mankind, for the professions of most men, be they high or low, differ from their conduct. It is through your deeds that ye can distinguish yourselves from others. Through them the brightness of your light can be shed upon the whole earth.”
Spiritual growth process may begin by acceptance of the manifestation of God and obedience to His laws and principles.
A moral person can be defined as social actor, who, having effected change in himself/ herself, feels the responsibility to also contribute towards the transformation of the social order.
The following words of Bahá’u’lláh capture the essence of a belief that can lead to constructive deeds.
He says: “Be generous in prosperity and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbour and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, an admonisher to the rich, an answerer to the cry of the needy, a preserver of the sanctity of thy pledge. Be fair in thy judgment and guarded in thy speech. Be unjust to no man and show all meekness to all men. Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. Let integrity and uprightness distinguish all thine acts … Be an ornament to the countenance of truth, a crown to the brow of fidelity, a pillar of the temple of righteousness, a breath of life to the body of mankind, an ensign of the hosts of justice, a luminary above the horizon of virtue …”
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