Living in the world with a free heart

How can the mind and the heart be entirely free, and detached from any pursuit, yet occupied with the solution of material problems? This is a most subtle, psychological question. To be in the water and not to get wet; to go through the fire and not to be burned--these are opposite, irreconcilable conditions. Still, in the spiritual world these two antipodes must meet and the two qualities of severance and attachment must be harmoniously combined."

Say: By the world is meant that which turneth you aside from Him Who is the Dawning-Place of Revelation, and inclineth you unto that which is unprofitable unto you. Verily, the thing that deterreth you, in this day, from God is worldliness in its essence. Eschew it, and approach the Most Sublime Vision, this shining and resplendent Seat.

The similitude of the world is as a shadow - at times it existeth and at times it existeth not. No wise one would attach their heart to such a thing, but rather would consider it vain.

Think not that the world and what is meant by it are the ordained bounties therein or its varied ornaments, for these things are the creations of the Truth and the manifestations of His handiwork.

Some people will say: "Why cut yourself from the world when God created it? What is the world for if not for our benefit and pleasure? Why should we not get all we can out of it? If what the Prophets say is right, why stay here?" By cutting ourselves from the world is intended avoiding things that hinder our advance toward God; this world is but a stepping stone for the world of spirit; besides, if all were to withdraw, this world would be destroyed.

He brings to them divine qualities and frees them from indifference towards God, from prejudices which are founded on ignorance, from animal instincts, and from the attachment to the material world and the surrender of self to it - by attachment to the material world, I do not mean social intercourse and economic relations upon which the progress of the world depends, but I mean the ascendency of the lower life over the higher ideals of human society.

It is just as sure that a camel cannot enter the eye of a needle as that a rich man cannot enter the Kingdom, an utterance of Jesus Christ.

This refers to a rich man whose heart is set upon his riches, that is, he whose heart is attached to things and belongings. A man may be absolutely poor and dispossessed of everything, and yet be worldly. Another man may be very wealthy and yet severed.

O Miraban! They say that Kayqubad in his later years laid the foundation of detachment and sanctification, withdrew from all people, and chose the corner of seclusion and retreat for the comfort of his heart and the tranquility of his soul. But you, in your youth, show such manliness - that is, be detached in spirit from the world and its peoples while being loving and kind in heart and tongue. The essence of retreat and seclusion is that a person should have no attachment of heart to this world, but rather seek freedom, tranquility and wisdom.

The world is that which preventeth men from turning toward God, not what heedless servants have understood it to be. Thus hath it been sent down from the Pen of our Most Glorious Lord in a preserved tablet.

And if thou hearest My words, abandon the world and whatsoever is therein and thereon of its customs and creeds, for all these are one and the same in judgment, wert thou of them that comprehend. For whatsoever veils man from the recognition of his Lord and from attaining the presence of his Master - this is the world, even though it be the most excellent of deeds.

The ornaments of the world have occupied the peoples and kept them back from the recognition of God, exalted be His glory. By ornaments is meant at times the love of the world, and at other times its trappings and adornments, and in one station all that preventeth men from drawing nigh unto God.

The world and the hereafter are two states: if your focus is on God, you are in Paradise, and if your gaze is upon yourself, you are in the Fire and in this world.

No matter how much man gains wealth, riches and opulence in this world, he will not become as independent as a cow. For these fattened cows roam freely over the vast tableland. All the prairies and meadows are theirs for grazing, and all the springs and rivers are theirs for drinking! No matter how much they graze, the fields will not be exhausted!

… Thus it becomes evident that in the matters of this world, however much man may strive and work to the point of death, he will be unable to earn the abundance, the freedom and the independent life of a small bird. This proves and establishes the fact that man is not created for the life of this ephemeral world--nay, rather, is he created for the acquirement of infinite perfections, for the attainment to the sublimity of the world of humanity, to be drawn nigh unto the divine threshold, and to sit on the throne of everlasting sovereignty!

Be ye not grieved or sorrowful that no great wealth or property has been bestowed upon you. Look at the birds! The first thing in the morning they are very thirsty and hungry. They go to the spring, and a few drops quench their thirst; then they pick up a few seeds and are perfectly satisfied and sit upon the branches and sing the praises of God. I hope you, too, will be satisfied.

Is the king free as the bird is free to fly upward? The king's head is often heavy with anxiety and the things of this world which hold him down.

If nobility and life were material, birds live much better than humans. How much effort humans must make and what difficulties they must accept for life! But the birds of mountain and desert without effort have their homes in the highest mountain peaks or tree branches, and all the plains are their vista, and all the harvest fields and seeds are their wealth. No human has such comfort. If physical comfort were the measure, certainly their life is greater than human life.

If the purpose of existence is sensual life and pleasures, then animal and man are equal. Happiness and pleasure are rather the possession of the bird and not those of distressed and sorrowful men.

The secrets of the whole economic question are divine in nature, and are concerned with the world of the heart and spirit.

And again He saith: "O bond slave of the world! Many a dawn hath the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted over thee and found thee upon the bed of heedlessness fast asleep. Bewailing then thy plight it returned whence it came."

The commercial man awakes with the thought of commerce; the inventor awakes with the thought of his inventions; the banker with the thought of money. But you, when you awake, must at once think of God and begin the day with an earnest desire to attain to the will of God and His good pleasure.

What delusions are these, what rebellion is this, what ignorance is this, and what disobedience is this - that they are heedless of God yet alert to the world, asleep to the Kingdom yet awake to the realm of dust!

How many a learned one cast the Book of God behind his back, and how many a mystic was seized by the winds of the world and withheld from the Most Exalted Horizon, and how many a sleeper heard the Call, arose and turned to His luminous horizon.

The intoxication of vain desire hath seized most of the people of the world, to such extent that they remain heedless and deprived of their true Purpose and Goal. That which they sought night and day with lowliness and supplication - from this they now turn aside when they behold it. Blessed is the soul whom the affairs of the world have not prevented from the Ancient Lord, and whom the intimations of the peoples have not deprived. All confess the transience of the world, yet still they cling to it.

Although all testify to the transience of the world and whatsoever is therein,

nevertheless they have become so beguiled by ephemeral means that they have, on account of these, shut their eyes to the enduring divine bounties and the sublime, transcendent stations.

Likewise reflect upon the baseness of the people of the world - they are occupied with that which they themselves acknowledge to be perishable, and are debarred from the life everlasting.

O thou who gazest upon the Most Luminous Horizon!

Every soul in the world of existence hath a focus of attention, an object of desire, a beloved and an adored one. One loveth position, another yearneth for a beauty brighter than the moon, one is wholly attached to wealth, and yet another clingeth to the hem of the Lord of Glory.

Some of the people of the earth desire conquest over others; some of them are longing for rest and ease; others desire a high position; some of them desire to become famous; thank God that our desire is for spirituality and for union with God.

O thou who art enraptured by the Divine Beauty!

Each soul hath some desire in mind and longing in heart. One yeareth for a radiant face and flowing tresses, while another craveth sovereignty in the world. One is captive to leadership, another enamored of commerce and wealth. One is master of invention and craft, while another is commander of armies and claimeth valor.

Be thou free of all these fetters and stand aloof from every bond.

O thou who art poor in God! In this world all people are distracted, but each one is distracted by something different. One is distracted by loved ones, another by endless wealth and riches, another by worldly dominion, and yet another by gardens and orchards.

O thou fresh sapling in the orchard of the love of God!

Every maiden in this universe of life has a leading desire. One longs for wealth, and another for worldly honors, and yet another strives for adornment and decoration, while another yearns for pleasure and comfort.

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The centers around which the thought of the majority of mankind revolve are egoism, selfishness, blind passion, hypocrisy, insincerity and cupidity.

The heedless souls who remain in the wilderness of self and desire and have not been guided by the dayspring lights of guidance are accounted as non-existent before the Truth.

O Ibrahim! The idol of self and desire hath encompassed the world. All have turned away from God and become worshippers of desire.

Verily, the people are intoxicated with the wine of their own desires to such an extent that they know not what they utter. They speak as their desires command them and purchase with their souls and their wealth the wrath of God, yet today they comprehend not.

How many souls today are occupied with their selfish desires, to such extent that they are wholly veiled from the Truth and deprived of the wine of reunion.

Most people have been consumed by the fire of greed and desire while they perceive it not. Blessed is the soul that hath cast off the garment of greed and departed from the world out of love for God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

Observe among the people how they have taken as their object of worship that world whose evanescence all acknowledge and confess, and how they remain debarred and shut out from the true Object of worship and from the rays of the Spiritual Sun.

What is the dust which obscures the mirror? It is attachment to the world, avarice, envy, love of luxury and comfort, haughtiness and self-desire; this is the dust which prevents reflection of the rays of the Sun of Reality in the mirror.

I prayed at the Court of Holiness to deliver thee from the darkness of the attachment to this world, enlighten thee by the Divine Illumination and purify the mirror of thy heart, so that the Rays of the Sun of Truth may shine therein.

Some, because their eyes are afflicted with the ophthalmia of desire, have failed to recognize Him and have contented themselves with this perishable world, passing by the eternal Kingdom.

Some men’s lives are solely occupied with the things of this world; their minds are so circumscribed by exterior manners and traditional interests that they are blind to any other realm of existence, to the spiritual significance of all things! They think and dream of earthly fame, of material progress.

They are heedless of being inflicted with a myriad of spiritual catastrophes, but do not desire the least harm to come to this transient body or be exposed to any jeopardy. They say whatever may happen to our soul, let it happen; but nothing less than utmost comfort for our body!

They possess naught but pure fancy and find no eternal life save utter extinction. They have become slaves to self and remained cut off from the King of Kings; they have become servants of the body and remained heedless and veiled from the Lord of Lords.

The diverse colors of the world have occupied its people and deprived them of the Supreme Horizon, yet he who possesseth sight is not withheld by worldly affairs from the Most Great Prospect.

O divine servant! The wealth of the world is like sand dunes that winds carry from place to place each day. Today you observe a dune formed of sand in one location; tomorrow you see this dune completely scattered and dispersed with no trace remaining - the wind has carried it away and formed another dune from this sand two leagues away in another spot. In short, wealth and riches are like moving sand dunes - they come and go. Therefore, they hold absolutely no importance in the eyes of the people of knowledge.

O faithful friend! People suppose that the greatest happiness in this world is to obtain fame and renown. Yet this is but a manifest illusion and an ephemeral fancy. After man has hastened from this world to the next realm, of what benefit are name and fame, and where can they be perceived? For the kernel has departed and naught remains save the shell.

O blessed be this glorious, mighty station!

They whose eyes have been opened behold this world and its ornaments as a mirage which the thirsty one thinketh to be water. They are indeed possessed of insight. Nothing can prevent them from the Most Great Vision. They shall soon find themselves in an exalted station.

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It is evident that all the great matters of this world will eventually result in madness, its apparent great profit is manifest loss. Even if the human being should strive and make great effort he is like a steed running after a mirage - it will never reach a thirst-allaying drink. Even if he makes great effort he will have as a reward despair and hopelessness.

O seeker of true glory and nobility in the divine world! Nobility in the material world is an illusory matter and a blameworthy notion, for the highest degree of worldly glory is sovereignty and dominion over the world, and majesty and kingship. Yet when you look at reality, it is a body without soul, and a form without spirit and conscience. It is a reflection without foundation and a shadow without end. It is a mirage, not wine; it is appearance, not water; it is vapor, not cloud.

O thou who gazest toward the Most Glorious Horizon!

Today all who are on earth run after a mirage and pursue a fleeting shadow. They have taken a vanishing drop to be a surging ocean and counted a lowly speck as a brilliant luminary. They have imagined the base earth to be the loftiest heaven and considered a heap of soil to be paradise supreme. They have conceived a transient fireplace to be an eternal garden and known an extinguished candle as a radiant flame.

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O thou who art attracted by the fragrances of divine knowledge!

In the world of existence, whatsoever man desireth deserveth no attachment, for in truth it is a mirage and not water, smoke and not roast meat, waves of vain imaginings and hosts of idle fancies.

All human beings are like children occupied with toys of dust, and their aspirations are very low.

They have set their hearts upon this world of dust and water, and are unaware of heavenly bestowals. They have defiled themselves with the affairs of this transient world and are heedless of the eternal realm and everlasting life. They are content with a drop and are deprived of the ocean's waves. They are attached to an atom and are heedless and far removed from the Sun of Truth.

This transient world of dust befits mere owls of ignorance. This gloomy dust-heap is only worthy of the birds of this mortal plane. The mystic nightingale maketh its home in the divine rose-garden and noble birds dwell in spiritual realms on high.

Give glad tidings to the parrots and joyous news to the sweet-tongued ones that the market of sugars is thriving and the confectioners' shops are open, with continuous scattering of sweets. Yet the crows crave bones and the owls desire the insects of ruins. Therefore you, who are a divine Indian parrot, take your share of this refined sugar and partake of this soul-nourishing sweetness.

O thou of high resolve! Thou knowest the measure of lofty resolve and hast proof of the sublimity of purpose. The eagle soaring to the heights of glory will not make its nest and abode in the branches of this transient and base world of abasement. The whale of the divine sea will not take up residence in a worldly stream, and the lion of the Lord's springtime will not make its dwelling in the jungle of vain imaginings and desires.

O thou spiritual friend! This world is a prison for heavenly souls, and this earthly world is but a cage, and not a nest, unto the divine birds. A prisoner who is awake and conscious will certainly seek for freedom, and mindful bird will certainly wish for deliverance from the cage. When the heart becometh free from attachment unto this world, it will crave for the world of the Kingdom and seek for eternal life.

The Greatest prison is the material world. Prison is antithesis of freedom. Now man is a prisoner of food, of sleep, of comfort and thousand other similar prisons.

Ere this she was a captive in the fetters of material attachments; now she is established upon the throne of joy. Ere this she was a prisoner in the bond of this ephemeral world; now, like unto the birds of holiness, she hath winged her flight unto the realm of freedom.

O thou goodly leaf!

This world is indeed a narrow and dark arena, while that world is supremely luminous, vast and near. In the twinkling of an eye one can hasten from this physical realm to the divine world, and race from this confined space to that boundless realm. Therefore, as much as thou art able, think upon that world rather than this world, and be intoxicated with that cup rather than this turbid chalice.

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However, when you close your eyes to this dark world and cast your gaze upward to the supreme realm, you will see all lights enduring, will see all eternal and everlasting, will see the reality of mysteries. Therefore, blessed is the pure soul that has not attached itself to the defilement and comfort of this transient world, but rather has become attracted to the purity and freedom and nobility of the eternal world.

In the same way he must be born from the world of nature so that he may become free from the darkness of the world of nature. This is the second birth.

Man must always strive to have his spirit overcome his body.

Some are of a material inclination, enslaved to the world of nature. Their highest aspiration is to make progress in the material world in doing this they follow the example of other animals which are also enslaved by the world of nature, the only difference being that the natural characteristics of man are slightly more honourable than those of other creatures.

The other kind of human beings are those who seek the sublime world, who crave to become heavenly creatures like the prophets and the holy saints, and merciful souls attracted to the kingdom of God.

Be not content with the world of nature, but seek the glory of the Kingdom, for this is the greatest gift among all peoples.

The days shall pass and nothing but regret shall remain for the people of the world. The nobility of the human world lies in divine inspirations, not in worldly adornments.

God has created man in a high position, he is distinguished from all other creatures; is created in God's image, but man leaves this majestic gift and great station to run away and play with the dust of the Earth.

God says: I have prepared for them such glorious palaces, but these people are satisfied with their wretched hovels. I have [meted] for them wonderful worlds of light but they are totally negligent. I have opened before their faces the doors of the Kingdom but they run away from me. I have desired for them the heavenly illuminations but they prefer the dim ray of the candle. I have spread before them the Supper of Lord but they prefer to eat grass.

O king of the country of knowledge!

The world-conquering kings strive for years with utmost vigor and devotion crying out and making sacrifices to conquer this country of dust, and rule this dark heap and at the end repose underneath it. Their flags get inverted and their ensigns upturned. Their radiance turns to darkness and their grandeur to lowliness.

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O servant of God! Alexander of Greece sought fame and renown in the world of human existence and became renowned throughout the horizons for his military might and bloodthirstiness. He put kings in chains and took them captive, but in the end he found his resting place in the dark earth and his inherited throne became a buried grave.

O thou who art firm in the signs of God! Alexander of Greece sought kingship and sovereignty and world conquest in this mortal realm, and in the end it became manifest loss and great harm and severe regret. Therefore seek not what he sought, and walk not in his path of conduct. Rather, open the world of meanings and seek sovereignty in the Merciful Kingdom and know true human greatness and glory in the divine world.

O Nadir Muhammad!

Nadir shed the blood of several million people in order to conquer an earthly realm and a worldly domain, and in the end he hastened to the world of dust and took up residence in a narrow and dark grave.

Although their armies ride forth in battle and they call themselves victorious and conquer countries and nations on every side they are already vanquished by their own egos, they are all captives of self and desire. Thus are they laid low in truth and humiliated like powerless slaves?

If today one should conquer the whole world, he hath not been nor shall he be, in the sight of God, powerful and triumphant.

And We revealed to the King of Paris: "Dost thou take pride in the treasures thou dost possess, when thou knowest they shall perish? Or dost thou glory in that thou rulest a span of earth, when all of it, in the estimation of the people of Baha, is worth not even as much as the black in the eye of a dead ant? Leave them to such as desire them and turn unto the Most Great Purpose.

This world hath no station. Erelong shall the wrongdoers behold the recompense of their deeds, bereft of any evidence from God, the Commander, the All-Wise. O Ibrahim! Upon thee be My glory. Hearken unto My call from the direction of My prison. Verily He remembereth thee in truth and remindeth thee of the signs of God, the Lord of all worlds. Turn not unto the world and its affairs. By My life! Had it possessed any station, thou wouldst surely have found Me seizing its reins and established upon its throne.

O thou handmaiden of God! The sovereignty of this world hath no value, and the glory of this realm of dust hath no permanence.

But that sovereignty retained no glory and that majesty had no lasting grandeur. However, his connection to the Sacred Threshold is an eternal sovereignty that will endure forever and remain steadfast.

Therefore, set your thoughts upon the eternal sovereignty of the everlasting world, whose glory is heavenly, whose power is from the All-Merciful, whose grandeur is divine, and whose duration is everlasting.

I swear by the Ancient Beauty that servitude at the Sacred Threshold is better than sovereignty and dominion and rulership over the East and West of this earthly world.

They must gather the treasure of the Kingdom in their sleeves and amass the wealth of the love of God. They must place upon their heads a brilliant crown of the jewels of divine knowledge, and hang around their necks a necklace made of the pearls of truth and mysteries. Kings are their servants, and monarchs are in need of their felt cloaks and sheepskin garments.

O Ardishir! The renowned ones of the world found no remedy for their pain and applied no balm to their wounds. Finally, with utmost regret, they hastened from this world to the next.

But the renowned ones of God gained profit and were delivered from loss and detriment, and attained to the hidden treasure, for they sought neither name nor fame nor attachment.

O Jamshid-i-Rashid! His Holiness Jam saw no fidelity in this twisted world, tasted no sweetness, and attained not his desires. In truth, he saw few pleasant days. At times he was a wanderer in mountain and desert, bewildered and distracted in the grip of trials. At other times he was in endless hardship and difficulty. And in the end, he disappeared beneath the earth.

Observe how unfaithful this world is! How then can man set his heart upon it and become attached to it, unless his consciousness becomes unconscious? Otherwise he would become detached and withdraw to the side.

In this world thousands of politicians came and went and published many important publications on earth, and now you find neither mention nor trace of them.

… In truth, that poor soul was deprived of high office and the title Nizam al-Dawlih and honor and prosperity in Iran, gained nothing in the political world and saw no fruit, did not attain the fame that was his utmost desire, and left this world disappointed and sorrowful while each of the republicans considered himself greater than him.

Regard not this, that in these days, to outward seeming, they live in luxury and honour. For I swear by Him Who hath made true honour the exclusive portion of His loved ones, that though they repose on jewelled couches, in the eyes of God they dwell upon the dust; and soon shall they all return, in the utmost poverty and abasement, to that place wherein is neither lamp nor couch, neither friend nor comforter.

Affairs have so transformed that thou seest vultures dwelling in palaces while the Sovereign of the Kingdom resideth in the most ruined of houses. Thus hath the matter been decreed by thy Lord, the Mighty, the Self-Subsisting. God hath made their palaces their tombs.

Some people exert the utmost effort to amass something through lawful or unlawful means to leave for their heirs, unaware that both possessions and heirs shall pass away. No name endures on earth except that which is connected to the Truth.

Reflect upon those who have occupied themselves with the world and have turned away from their Lord, the Most Glorious. Can they consume of their wealth more than what God hath ordained? Nay, by thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise! Or can they carry it with them after the angel of death hath come from thy Lord, the Mighty, the Praised One? Nay, by thy Lord! They shall abandon what they possess with grief and sorrow and shall return to their abode in the nethermost hell.

Night and day they are consumed by the fire of greed and deprived of the light of detachment. With all their soul they strive after wealth and glory, heedless of to whom this wealth shall revert the following day and who shall inherit this glory.

Those souls who are this day deprived of the Most Great Ocean and occupied with their own desires shall ere long descend from the highest heaven to the lowest depths, and that wherein they now rejoice shall bring joy to others, and that which they now possess shall be possessed by their enemies. Blessed is he who hath not exchanged the everlasting bounty for fleeting vanities, who hath hearkened with the ear of the spirit to the call of the Friend, and who hath attained unto the purpose of all worlds.

For gold leadeth men astray and rendereth its possessor the poorest of servants through the greed that God causeth to overcome him, which hath no bound. Moreover, this wealth impoverisheth him from all that hath worth before God, for it occupieth him in the world to such an extent that the remembrance of the Beloved is not mentioned in his heart. Apart from this, it shall not endure on earth and shall perish in less than a moment - this hath been witnessed by the worlds.

Those men who, having amassed the vanities and ornaments of the earth, have turned away disdainfully from God -- these have lost both this world and the world to come.

Fear not the might of ignorant divines, and be not gladdened by worldly wealth. Soon shall God's irrevocable decree seize both and bring them to naught.

O my two dear friends! Of what use in this world is security and comfort and stability? Of what benefit to man is bodily ease and sleeping at night and talking by day and hoarding in the morning and spending in the evening and resting on soft cushions of silk and brocade? Time passes in vain talk, and when it ends there is loss upon loss and evident deprivation.

We do not want spiritual progress, we do not seek human virtues, and we say "We are wealthy, we need not this bounteous feast. We have a flowing treasure, we want not the trouble of heart and soul."

Pay no heed to the world and set not thy heart upon wealth. Neither lament poverty nor boast of riches, for all these things have come from nothingness and unto nothingness shall they return.

Most of the friends of Truth, in ages past and present, possessed no earthly treasures, and this has never been and is not now a defect, but rather is a manifest glory.

… Take heed that the affairs of the world grieve thee not.

Beware lest riches hold thee back from the ultimate goal, or earthly concerns grieve thee on this Day wherein the ocean of joy and gladness hath surged in the name of thy Lord, the Mighty, the Most Praised.

Kings and subjects, rich and poor, shall all perish, but that which hath been sent down unto thee from the kingdom of thy Lord, the Kind, the Merciful, shall endure.

But if, on the other hand, a man has all the wealth, comfort and luxuries of life, and does not possess tranquility of heart, all these things will become conducive of anxiety and nervous breakdown. When the tree is firmly rooted in the ground and the trunk well established in the earth, no matter how much the hurricane rages, the furious winds blow and the rushing rains fall, this will only add to the firmness and verdancy of the tree, and it will loom up toward the heavens with greater confidence and assurance.

O you who are turned toward the Kingdom, do not wither from the affairs of the human world. By the breeze from the divine realm, remain ever stirred, fresh and verdant, alive, refined and free.

Be not saddened by the transient affairs of this base world. Keep thy heart illumined and joyous through the remembrance of the King of Oneness.

Dost thou grieve over this world? It shall pass away, by the Lord of the worlds! Rejoice in My love, which nothing created in all existence can equal. Verily, thy Lord is the All-Knowing, the All-Informed.

Grieve not over this world and its conditions. Rather, rejoice in this remembrance, which all the treasures of the earth cannot equal.

Let not earthly affairs grieve thee. Rejoice in My remembrance of thee and My turning towards thee from this forbidden spot.

Beware lest the affairs of the world sadden you or its ornaments prevent you from My Straight Path. Fear God and follow not what ye possess, but rather follow that which ye are commanded by One Who is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Beware lest the affairs of the world sadden thee and turn thee away from the Lord of all mankind.

There is a vast difference between the soul who has consecrated his life to the joys, pleasures and delights of this mundane world and the soul who seeks nought else save the good-pleasure of the Lord, who devotes his rest and comfort to the progress of the Cause.

Leave the world to its people and hold fast unto the cord of wisdom and utterance.

"Thou must do always something and speak in such a manner that the people's attachment to this world may become less.

The purpose is the result which is accomplished -- love and unity among mankind.

For the world is dark with discord and selfishness, hearts are negligent, souls are bereft of God and His heavenly bestowals. Man is submerged in the affairs of this world. His aims, objects and attainments are mortal, whereas God desires for him immortal accomplishments. In his heart there is no thought of God. He has sacrificed his portion and birthright of divine spirituality.

Lethargy and coldness have encompassed the world - set aflame the heart of the world! Darkness and heedlessness have surrounded creation - spread rays and lights upon the horizons! This flame is the mention of God and these lights are the knowledge of Truth.

I beseech Thee by Thy Name the All-Bountiful, and by Thy Name the All-Merciful, and by Thy Name the All-Knowing, and by Thy Name the All-Wise, and by Thy Name the Self-Subsisting, and by Thy Name the All-Loving, and by Thy Name the All-Munificent, and by Thy Name the All-Forgiving, and by Thy Name the All-Bestowing, that Thou forgive Thy loved ones and purify them from the defilement of the world and its suspicions and its idle fancies, and adorn them with the lights of certitude through Thy mercy and Thy bounty.

I am occupied with the mention of this sorrowful world; bestow upon me an ear that may hear the melody of the Concourse on High, hearken to the song of the nightingale of Thy sacred gardens, and perceive the notes of the thankful birds with an attentive ear.

O my Lord! The world hath occupied me from turning toward Thy horizon and hath prevented me from directing myself to the Dayspring of Thy Cause and the Dawning-Place of Thy Revelation. Therefore have I fled from myself unto Thee and have placed my trust in Thee.

I beseech Thee, O God of Names and Creator of heaven, to make me of those whom the world hath not kept back from turning toward Thy most exalted horizon, and whom the ornaments of earth have not prevented from drawing nigh unto Thee, O Lord of all beings and Ruler of the throne above and the dust beneath.

The love of the world hath prevented and deprived the peoples from turning to the Ancient Beauty, exalted be His glory. We beseech Him to bestow upon thee a strength which no weakness can affect, that perchance the light of certitude may triumph over the darkness of vain imaginings.

All must adorn themselves with divine attributes and spiritual qualities, for the world and all that is therein are not worthy of attachment, as that which perisheth deserveth not to be loved.

Know thou that the world is the love of Mine enemies and the turning away from My sanctified, luminous and beloved Beauty.

However, there are some cities whose residents are so deeply absorbed in the world of nature that they are wholly bereft of spiritual perception. They occupy themselves with eating, resting, dancing and amusement. They are entirely unaware of the kingdom of heaven.

They behold the Lord of Lords established upon the throne of might, yet from Him they turn aside. The world hath so deceived them that they see neither right nor left. Lo! They know not.

O thou who hast clung steadfastly unto the most sure handle! The world is full of strife and struggle. Each mind has its secret desire and every soul its different aspirations. This one is lost in the prairies of pleasure and diversion; and that one dissipates his life in the wilderness of commerce; one seeks eagerly for human glory while another hunts for rank and honour; some rise and fall as they struggle through the waste land of power and political appointment and still others are tortured and harassed at every turn as they sit upon their thrones.

Had all the peoples of the world hearkened to the Word of Unity as it deserveth to be hearkened to, all would have turned unto God, detached from all else. The deceptive conditions and allusions of the world have debarred the nations from the most great bounty.

Blessed are they whom the affairs of the world have not prevented from the supreme horizon.

… This mansion of clay hath no worth, and these earthly temples have no station.

Verily, he who sucketh from the breast of the world hath turned away from God, the Lord of Names, and waged war in such wise as none can reckon save the True One, the Knower of things unseen.

Turn not unto the world and its conditions.

Attachment to the world hath debarred the servants from the Lord of Names. Ere long they shall arise in lamentation and weeping, but shall find for themselves neither helper nor protector except if they repent and return unto God, the Mighty, the Kind.

Beware lest the veils of the world and its manifestations and colors prevent you. Arise to promote the Cause with complete dedication and great steadfastness, and summon humanity unto truth through wisdom and utterance.

The world is transient - look not unto it, but rather unto Him Who created and manifested it.

But alas, some hearts became attached to the earthly world and remained veiled and deprived of those favors and assistances.

The world hath deluded most of the servants. Blessed is he who hath cast it behind him, turning with his heart to the direction of the Intended One.

The world hath deluded them to such extent that they cast aside guidance and took hold of idle fancy.

O servant! The world hath never had, nor hath, any permanence. Soon thou shalt find all who are visible therein and all that exists therein to be non-existent, such that thou shalt see no trace of all that is on earth.

The whole world hath been brought from nothingness into being for the recognition of the Ancient King, yet the pomp and vanities of the world have occupied all and prevented them from turning to the Most Exalted Horizon.

The world is bewildered, for it is observed that the servants, out of love for two fleeting days, have closed and continue to close their eyes to everlasting, eternal blessings.

Beware lest the affairs of the world hold you back or the clamor of the nations veil you. Draw nigh unto God, then aid His mighty and impregnable Cause.

Among the people are those whom love of the world has prevented from turning to the Lord of Names, and among them are those who have turned to the Most Exalted Horizon, detached from the worlds.

Give thanks to thy Lord for having aided thee in His love, and that the world did not prevent thee from turning toward the face of God, the Mighty, the Generous, even as My sister was veiled thereby from the Beloved of creation, choosing for herself the ornaments of the world and turning away from the good-pleasure of God, the Object of worship of the knowing ones.

O thou who gazest upon the Face! The ornaments of the world of creation have prevented the people of the realm below from turning to the highest horizon. They are occupied with these things and are heedless and veiled from the Truth.

O peoples of the earth! Fear God and follow not those whom the world hath deluded with its vanities in such wise as to have debarred them from My straight Path.

Beware lest the conditions of the world and its ornaments, its favors, its bounties and its colors hold you back from turning unto the Dawning-Place of God's revelation, the Lord of all men.

O spiritual youth! Every youth in this earthly realm is preoccupied with thoughts of this world and immersed in animal passions. Their thoughts are of food and drink, their pursuits the desire for pearls and shells, even the basest clay fragments. But the end result is regret and remorse.

Among the people is he who is held back by wealth from his final end, and among them is he who is occupied with women, heedless of God, the Lord of the Exalted Throne.

Days pass by and one's life span comes to an end and no condition remains the same but there is a difference between the soul who passes his days in selfish desires and lusts and one who consecrates the duration of his life in suffering in the path of the lord of revelation.

To-day the people of the world in general are self-occupied. They are either engaged in warfare, or in commercial pursuits, political pursuits, industrial pursuits, or agricultural pursuits. The interests of all are of a personal nature. They are thinking of self-aggrandizement, no desire save the destruction of the world, no purpose save the thoughts which are directed to the acquisition of their worldly possessions.

I see the people of Paris like bees and ants, coming and going in swarms, moving and stirring like waves, extremely busy - but if you ask what they are doing and why they are moving about, they are completely unaware of their origin and end, and seek no perfection beyond eating, sleeping and immersion in desires.

If all the kingdom of the world were offered to any person of insight to spend but one night with such as she in bed, he would surely refuse, yet she remained deprived of the Most Glorious Branch due to the ornaments of the world and its trappings, becoming intimate with the most hideous form in existence.

… Such is the nature of the world and its adherents.

… This hath occurred solely that all might be convinced that love of the world maketh the eye blind and the ear deaf, such that man cannot distinguish between the highest heaven and the lowest depths.

Say: O people of Baha! Turn not unto the world and its ornaments. By God's life! It shall perish, while your remembrance shall endure in the kingdom of your Lord, the Mighty, the Generous.

Such heedlessness hath seized upon the servants that they have forsaken the imperishable kingdom for the sake of two fleeting days, and are occupied with transgression and wickedness.

Now consider them, and consider those others who will not forego one iota of their lusts and passions. Slaves are they of their carnal appetites, and addicted to the pleasures and diversions of this dark and narrow world. Wherefore is there an immeasurable difference betwixt the twain.

These weak souls who have the utmost attachment to this transient world - it is certainly better if they are not in the Cause of God.

Is there a greater and more harrowing regret in this world than to spend one's physical energies in the awful road of lust, sinful passions, inordinate desires and the frivolities of the age! No! I declare by God. Oh! How pitiful to watch the last flicker of a hope dying out of such a life! Because when the last curtain falls on such a dissipated life he finds to his utter remorse his nerves racked, his resources drained, his fortune wrecked, his hopes vanished, his opportunities lost, his visions vanished, his energies wasted and the light of his spirit extinguished!

And how can one who sees no life for himself in less than a moment desire the world? How strange that those who speak according to their own desires - they shall be questioned about what they have said on that Day when they shall find for themselves no helper or assistant."

They did not see that the prophecy was being fulfilled in Christ, because they were waiting for a great victorious material kingdom to be established on earth, and the Messiah was to be one who possessed endless wealth and sovereign earthly power; while Christ came in a contrary manner to this, and the Jews would only obey and accept according to their desire and the will of man.

All have sullied themselves with these conditions and are drowned in the world of nature, heedless of God and the higher realm.

He who hath known God and loved Him would sacrifice his soul in His path and would pay no heed to the worlds, for beyond this world there exists a kingdom and a mighty sovereignty, and worlds which none can reckon save the Self of thy Lord, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed. Grieve not over your bodies, for We have desired that ye should possess the kingdoms of the spirit.

By God's life! Their desires have held them back from God and their wealth hath deluded them from Him Who created them and provided for them unto this blessed, mighty, promised Day.

Yet most of mankind remain veiled and deprived therefrom, even though they witness and know with certainty that whatever is visible will perish and decline shall overtake it. Some people are occupied with vain imaginings and are seen to be far from the Dawning-Place of certitude, while others are deluded by outward bounties and are thereby deprived of the Dawning-Place of divine revelation and the Source of the sublime Command.

Be content with God and independent of him who waxed proud and was wretched, and chose this world over the next by following his passions and desires.

The intoxication of perishable ornaments hath prevented the servants from everlasting favors. They have clung to these few fleeting days, and remain heedless of that which is with God.

Thou seest, O my God, my Purpose and my Master, that Thy servants are occupied with their riches, heedless through their affairs, and prevented by their veils from recognizing Thy chosen ones who have arisen to serve Thy Cause, who have spoken that which the tongue of Thy grandeur hath spoken, and who have testified to that which Thy Most Exalted Pen hath testified in the earliest of Thy days.

As for the unfaithful, they forgot the Abha Beauty to such an extent that each became occupied with their own comfort, ease and pleasure. One fell into thoughts of fame, another into delusions of glory. One sought peace of soul while another pursued the desires of heart and spirit.

But they who are shut out as by a veil have wailed and bemoaned their plight, saying, 'How difficult is this path, for it requires one to renounce this world and hasten to the next! How can we do this? How can we investigate the truth and unravel love's great subtleties, with all the attachments that we have? Better for us to busy ourselves with our own affairs and turn aside from the mysteries of world of being.

O the pity! that man attacheth himself to this world and is enamoured with ease and comfort notwithstanding these irresistible woes and many toils and sorrows. What heedlessness! What ignorance! What error! How pitiful, how regrettable!

Therefore we must fire a cannon at these fortresses that will demolish the foundation of events and calamities and desires and attachment to the world and worldly ones. We must walk our own path and tread the straight path and strive toward that Kind Beloved and seek His face and speak His secrets. We should have nothing more to do with worldly affairs.

Yea, some of the intellectually cultured people in those countries exert themselves to reach the loftiest summits of prosperity in worldly affairs and most of them are desiring wealth and are making an effort to attain it somehow. But they are unmindful of the treasury of the Kingdom, the spiritual affluence and the wealth of mind; therefore, thou findest them subject to the rage of lusts and under the influence of egotistic and selfish desires, sinking into intemperance and engaged in drinking the cup of lust.

Despite this, the heedless are extinguished and the frozen ones are intoxicated. The materialists are caught in the cold of earthly conditions, and the self-indulgent are pleased and addicted to worldly delights.

This world's foundation is built upon wind and has no end. One should attend to the affairs of this world only to the extent necessary and spend the remaining time on the Kingdom of God, so that eternal illumination may be achieved and everlasting existence obtained.

Therefore if thou wishest to become heavenly, cut thy attention from the earth; that is, cease to attach thy heart unto this world and seek connection with or attachment to the Kingdom and turn unto God.

But today the majority of these priests and Rabbis are living a vain life - like animals - eating, drinking and sleeping. In the words of Ecclesiastes: 'Whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy.' It seems that many of these present day religious leaders are totally submerged in the sea of lust and passion and have cast aside the laws of God.

Yazid too departed this world, and the Lord of the Martyrs likewise departed this world - what a difference between them! That one passed his days in passion and desire, in tyranny and transgression; this one spent all his days in the path of God, carrying them to their ultimate conclusion.

When it was four hours after sunset I rose. The host asked me to sit. I said, 'It is our custom to sleep four hours after sunset.' The host said, 'We are just going to have dance.' I excused myself/ He became greatly astonished that with such music and dancing I should desire to leave. I said, 'I am sleepy. I desire to go.'

Hell is the state of mind in which there are evil thoughts and purposes, yielding to the desires of the senses, clinging to material things.

Again it hath been revealed from the right hand of the Divine Command: Some people have been and are requesting special worldly ornaments from the Most Holy Court, and this is exceedingly far from justice and fairness. From the beginning of this Revelation until now, never have We made any intimation to anyone regarding such matters - holy is the hem of the Cause from the mention of such things, much less their practice.

Say: O people! Turn not unto the world and its ornaments. By God! It shall perish, and ye shall return to an abode wherein ye shall find no companion for yourselves. Hearken unto My words and deprive not yourselves of meeting your Lord, and be not among the rebellious in the land.

Yet most are unaware and have not yet awakened from the slumber of heedlessness. They remain content with this transient world and are deprived of the everlasting bounty.

The world and its ornaments have deluded them, and its riches and favors have occupied them.

O my God and my Lord! Thou seest and knowest that Thy servants have been prevented from turning unto Thee and placing their trust in Thee, and the ornaments of the world have so occupied them that they have denied Thy manifestations, Thy proofs and Thy signs.

They have cast aside the Lord and seized upon their desires. Thus have their souls enticed them, and today they are among the dead.

Say: O people! Have ye occupied yourselves with the world and become heedless of the Beloved of the worlds?

By My life! They have not found the sweetness of this station and are pleased and occupied with the ornaments and things of the world.

O My handmaiden! Verily My sister desired My presence and claimed My love and recognition, but when worldliness touched her she became occupied with it and turned away from My luminous, resplendent Beauty. She chose the ungodly as a helper for herself instead of God and set aside her Lord, the All-Merciful, the Most Compassionate, and severed her connection with God and clung to relationship with the ungodly.

Beware lest the ornaments of earthly sovereignty prevent thee from the Kingdom of thy Lord, the Possessor of this wondrous Day.

Hath the world prevented you from your Lord, the Lord of Names, or vain desire? Be fair, O people, and be not of those who deny.

Woe unto those who are veiled by what they possess from what God possesseth - they are truly among the perishing ones.

Beware lest the ornaments of the world withhold you from the Lord of all beings. Leave behind what the people possess, clinging fast to God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

How many a servant hath occupied himself with the world, heedless of its transience, and how many a servant hath forsaken it, turning unto his Ancient Lord!

The intoxication of vain ornaments hath so seized the people that they remain heedless and veiled from this supreme bounty. Soon shall death overtake all.

Yet most of the men and women servants have been veiled by earthly troubles, selfish desires, and the dust of passion.

All have been created for the knowledge of God, yet despite this they remain heedless of Him and occupied with themselves. Soon shall all cry out "Oh, woe unto us!"- this is what the All-Informed hath announced in His perspicuous Book.

They have forsaken their God and followed their own desires. Woe unto them from the torment of a mighty day!

Most failed to respond, being occupied with the diverse colors of the world and its glory and riches, and are so entangled that they had not, and have not, time to hearken unto the Word of Truth. Heedless of the immortal Kingdom, they cling to ephemeral hues.

These fleeting days have deprived most from the everlasting bounty, and the pride of wealth and power hath become an obstacle, and love of ornaments hath veiled their eyes like a severe inflammation.

O thou who art attracted by the holy fragrances! In this confined realm and this world full of color and water, even if thou shouldst tarry a hundred thousand years, thou wilt find naught but wound and poison, sickness and pain, grief and torment. Its honey is deadly poison and its glory is great abasement. Its light is darkness and its manifestation is absence. Its pleasure is folly and its sovereignty is a mirage of nothingness.

The peoples of the world are all immersed in this ocean of arrogance and deception and are deprived of the one true God and His good pleasure. They wish for everything except for God. They submit themselves to every sickness and deny the divine remedy. They tread every path except for the path of guidance, they engage in every issue except the remembrance of the one peerless Beloved.

Otherwise, woe and misery to the soul that seeketh after comforts, riches, and earthly delights while neglecting to call God to mind!

O thou who hast clung to the hem of grandeur!

Blessed is the soul that hath inhaled the musk of faithfulness wafting from the garden of grandeur, that hath become illumined by the light which illumineth earth and heaven, who hath become the target of arrows, become as dust in the path of his Lord, the Most High, glorified the all-glorious Beauty, tasted the sweetness of remembrance of God at every morn and eventide, occupied himself wholly with God, paid no heed to the comforts and ease of this world, and chosen the other world over this first life.

Consider how the pure chosen ones, the dawning-places of light and rising-points of mysteries, appear manifest and evident from the horizon of eternal glory throughout the ages and cycles. And those who committed oppression and tyranny and trod the path of rebellion and became intoxicated with the wine of pride - in what darkness they are trapped!

Seek not thy nest in the faded groves of this world nor thy shelter in this dark and dismal wasteland.

O divine scholar! Jinab-i-Ibtihaj hath written that even as a bright lamp thou hast shone in the glass of Gilan, closed thine eyes to the ease and comfort of this fleeting world and to the praise of the inmates of this gloomy heap of dust, and that thou hast wholly consumed and surrendered both heart and soul.

Adorn your tongues with the remembrance of your Lord, the All-Merciful, and turn not unto the world and what is therein, for it shall perish while sovereignty remaineth with God, the Protector, the Almighty, the Mighty, the All-Knowing.

O thou daughter of the Kingdom!

I hope, from the Almighty, that thou mayest be confirmed to the necessities and conditions of the following address; that is, to forget this world of possession, become wholly heavenly, become embodied spirit and attain to universal mind.

Today the world of humanity is walking in darkness because it is out of touch with the world of God. That is why we do not see the signs of God in the hearts of men. The power of the Holy Spirit has no influence. When a divine spiritual illumination becomes manifest in the world of humanity, when divine instruction and guidance appear, then enlightenment follows, a new spirit is realized within, a new power descends, and a new life is given.

All the people of this city are thinking of commerce and industry and pleasure and entertainment, except for you few who are also thinking of and mentioning God.

Just as birds and beasts from morning are thinking of grain and food, likewise these people are constantly preoccupied with the means of livelihood. How absorbed they are! What hopes and what joys they have!

Grieve not over the world and its conditions. Rather, rejoice in this station which hath been praised in the Book.

Glory be upon thee and upon those who have cast away the world and have turned with radiant faces toward this Horizon which hath been illumined by the lights of the Countenance.

They have attached their hearts to a handful of dust and sand, and dwell in a dark and gloomy world. They have chosen this transient fireplace and shunned the eternal rose garden.

O you who hold fast to the Sure Handle! Do not tarry in this world of scents and colors.

For the ease and comfort of this dusty, darksome world is all constraint and contamination. The pleasures and delights of all its affairs are but regret and hardship.

The people of the world are very ignorant. They are wholly occupied with the enjoyments of the world. They have quite forgotten God. They are like the worm: all their growth and increase is under the ground. The more they increase (in the things of the world), the lower they go (farther from God). They have no wings to fly through the air, to ascend upwards to heaven.

When in the evening he returns from his work after changing his clothes he goes under the kiosk and with his wife drinks tea, wine etc. Then when night comes and the beams of the silver moon are spread over the calm oriental atmosphere, they take their dinner and after awhile, together they dance and waltz till midnight through the green lanes and fragrant avenues of the garden. They are thoroughly absorbed in each other and apparently enjoy each other company. … Apparently some people may conceive that this is the height of happiness but it is material and fleeting.

All the inhabitants of this city are either thinking of industry or wealth or they are chasing after the worldly pleasures. except the few of Baha'is who are thinking of God.

How can a man attain to the ethereal height of true, solid fame if he chases after the shadows of his own pleasures and lust? Will his spiritual station be equal to the one who followed none of these?

Every mention is on their lips except the mention of God. They entertain every thought except the thought of the Kingdom of God. Every call is being heard in Paris except the call of the world of Light.

How pitiful it is that man is satisfied with material things and so regulates his life as to gain more and more! He has made himself a "civilized animal," while the animals are uncivilized. The animals and birds from early morning till late in the evening are planning to gain foods and grains; so the people of this age are totally submerged in material affairs. It is strange that they are pleased with these trifling occupations.

He spends his time in the pursuit of Shadowy objects.

When man leaves this world then no relatives, no family, no friends will benefit him. He will leave them all behind.

When I look upon Paris it seems to me it is like unto a corpse on which creep thousands of worms. These worms climb up and down through the dead, putrid corpse sucking its blood and pleased with its flesh. They do nothing else.

I swear by the Luminary of Batha that this world is not worthy of joy or sorrow, nor deserving the attention of the sincere ones and them that are nigh unto God. For were it worthy, it would have been yours and with you. The world and its adornments are, in the estimation of them that are detached, as a piece of leather paste sewn onto the finest garment - nay, even more detestable than that.

The answer is what is now set forth: First, occupation with such matters and attention to development and gardens and roses and nightingales and hyacinths keeps one from building spiritual houses and true mansions.

Beseech God that the outward conditions of the world, which in truth are reckoned as vain imaginings, may not withhold him from the immortal Kingdom. If he discovers the sweetness of the utterance of the All-Merciful and partakes of the fruits of the immortal Tree, a hundred thousand worlds will not prevent him nor keep him back from the Friend.

Cast aside the world and take hold of that which the Lord of Eternity, Who is in the Most Great Prison, commandeth thee.

Turn not your attention to the world and its concerns, but rather turn your hearts toward the abode of the Beloved, the station wherein everything therein proclaimeth: "There is none other God but Him, the All-Knowing, the All-Informed."

Cast the kingdom behind thee, then turn unto thy Lord. The world and all that is therein shall perish, and sovereignty shall remain with God, the Lord of grandeur and power.

I counsel thee and whosoever seeketh Me that this world is like a day - when thou diest thou shalt see naught of it, and thy hands shall be empty of all things save for him whom God hath granted a sound heart, who hath followed the wise Remembrance, the mighty Command, and the precious Symbol.

Verily that which occupieth people shall not profit them at the hour of death, whereunto pointeth the word of the King of Names and Attributes: "Rivalry in worldly increase distracteth you until ye visit the graves."

Better for you is what He possesseth than the things ye yourselves possess and the things ye have sought and are now seeking in this vain and empty life.

All human beings are earthly; their hearts are connected with this world. Day and night their thoughts and occupations are earthly; all belong to this world. They think about the honors of this world, or about the riches and wealth of this world, or of name and fame in this world.

Abdu'l-Baha smiled and replied: "No, I am tired of going about looking at the things of this world. I want to go above and travel and see in the spiritual worlds.

Worldly affairs should be left to worldly people. Grasp the hem of the eternal form, gird up your loins firmly, and forget sovereignty and kingdom.

If he could spread such a banquet of rejoicing for me, he could do it for himself a hundred times better. Notwithstanding this ideal power, he is still walking in the wilderness, eating the grass, sleeping on the ground, sitting in the darkness and living altogether a life of poverty.'

Your room will have no worldly comforts, but will be filled with the love of God. During a terrible storm Christ wandered on the mountain seeking shelter; a den of wild beasts was all he found and that was the beloved Son of God. All the world was his, but no worldly riches.

If you put your efforts into understanding the precepts of the Kingdom instead of into acquiring worldly shares and rights, you will gain perpetual joy and happiness.

Our real happiness is in the Kingdom. Here we seek no happiness, because in this world happiness does not exist.

O true friends! There are many assemblies throughout the world. In every city there are assemblies in perfect order, but all are connected to the material world. One assembly is for amassing riches, another for seizing people's wealth, another for discovering mines and inventing tools and instruments as time passes, and so forth.

Everybody who is thinking of besmearing himself (or herself) with the unreal world and not (attaching himself or herself) to the real, he (or she) is a field of bad character and not that of justice and fairness.

As long as man is much attached to this world he will be unaware of the Kingdom of God.

Say: Are ye content with an hour of this world while depriving yourselves of what hath been ordained for you throughout the duration of God's kingdom? This is naught but error.

They have occupied themselves with the world, turning aside from Him Who is the Lord of the Throne above and of the earth below.

Riches have occupied them, turning them away from their final end, and vain imaginings have prevented them from God, the Protector, the Self-Subsisting.

And glory be unto the handmaiden who hath turned with her heart unto the Lord of the Last and the First and hath left the world behind her.

The world hath no significance, neither now nor ever. Soon all that is witnessed now and shall come to pass thereafter will return to nothingness. Blessed are they whom these two fleeting days have not debarred from the immortal Kingdom.

Seeking nearness to the wealthy and the affluent, she turned away from her brother. She sent to the house of the enemy one who was related to the Friend. Beseech God that He may sanctify all from excessive love of the world.

Thanks be to God that for each one of the divine freed slaves and the heavenly and dear maid-servants, an indestructible mansion will be erected in the New Kingdom. This mansion will be an everlasting dwelling, an eternal abode and shelter.

Here is a meeting the object of which the accumulation of wealth; there is a syndicate the aim of which is to usurp the property of the nation. Here is a club the clarion call of which is imperialism and militancy and there is a society for the exploitation of mines, the invention of infernal instruments and the making of deadly armaments.

That sovereignty is earthly and not the intended meaning, for earthly sovereignty ultimately leads to "the loss of both this world and the Hereafter."

The world of matter is full of vices and the people of these regions are engaged too much in chasing material things. They are thinking too much of money and the tinsels and playthings they can buy with it. The precious hours of the day and night are expended thinking and speaking in the terms of Francs; what should they eat today; how can they buy that especial dress tomorrow; when can they go to the ballroom and have a whirl around; what time can they attend the latest sensation in the theatrical world.

We summon the people to severance and enkindlement. We call their attention to spirituality. We have nothing to do with political tricks and chicaneries. All the nations and governments of the world are harbouring these thoughts, are flying in this devitalizing atmosphere.

My object in taking that long journey through the West- was to awaken them out of this sleep; that they may not grovel all the time in the world of matter and that they may not only think of eating and drinking.

Then I told him really this small, humble cottage is more beautiful and exquisite than the palace of the King. He answered in reality it is so, it is so.

It is most astonishing that they would deprive themselves of the eternal, everlasting Kingdom for the sake of this transient life.

They have taken the vain imagining and cast aside the Self-Subsisting. To this doth the Sovereign of Utterance bear witness in this Forbidden Station.

Every atom proclaimeth and giveth glad tidings

[...] but riches and hopes have deprived the servants from the All-Possessing, the Self-Subsisting, and from the outpourings of this wondrous Day.

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Rejoice not in the world and whatsoever it contains. By God's life! Every treasure hath been and is the cause of infinite grief and sorrow and regret. Never hath any perishable thing been the cause of independence, nor shall it ever be.

The material men of this world are like poison to the spiritual.

… But others are like swine, which eat everything they find, and at last they are good only to be eaten.

Be not saddened by the sorrows of the world, nor gladdened by its joy. Neither sorrow nor joy is beloved in the Cause of the Beloved. Joy befitteth him who hath recognized this Revelation, and sorrow him who hath heard of its tribulations.

God willing, may they all not be deprived of everlasting gifts on account of transient blessings, and may they at all times be occupied with the remembrance of the Beloved of all creation.

The greatest cause and mightiest reason was the love of the world, which prevented those souls from the Lord of Names.

Consider the handmaiden who was related [to the Cause], how through vain and illusory words she remained deprived of the court of oneness, and how love of the world held her back from the Lord of Names.

These people love the immediate and forsake the hereafter.

The beloved of God must strive to be servants of the Blessed Beauty that they may be pointed to with fingers of acclaim, and they must not attach importance to worldly affairs, for these shall pass away.

Beware lest the affairs of the world withhold thee from the Lord of all mankind. Hold fast unto Him and place thy trust in Him, for He is verily the Helper, the Succourer.

But the love of the world and its concerns hath so seized them all that no awareness remaineth for anyone, save whom God willeth.

Beware, O My loved ones, lest ye exchange that which ye possess for that which hath been ordained in the worlds.

Detach thyself from all else but God, thy Lord, then turn thy face toward the sanctuary of His love and good-pleasure, and be of them that are detached.

Nor is this fleeting life of such worth that it should distract any soul from the True One or deflect him from that which is pleasing unto Him.

It behooveth the people of Baha to die to the world and all that is therein, to be so detached from all earthly things that the inmates of Paradise may inhale from their garment the sweet smelling savor of sanctity, that all the peoples of the earth may recognize in their faces the brightness of the All-Merciful, and that through them may be spread abroad the signs and tokens of God, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

There is no real pleasure in the word and no real happiness. All the earthly pleasures and material enjoyments are but alleviations of pains and an appeasement of troubles.

For the sake of two days of transient life they forsook everlasting life, and for ephemeral bounties they closed their eyes to eternal blessings.

In truth, all creation is in torment so that they may not become attached to this world and instead seek comfort and rest in the divine world and pursue heavenly gifts.

O thou whose eyes are fixed upon the Sublime Vision! In these brief days of earthly life do not contaminate thyself with the embellishments, the comforts and the aspirations of this world.

Ponder upon the world and its vicissitudes and changes, that ye may know its station and those who have turned unto it, turning away from that which hath been sent down in Our Preserved Tablet.

How base must a person be to be content with these material things and to occupy and soil oneself with these superfluities.

Abdul-Baha said: "Material affairs are of two kinds. The first are those concerns that have no direct relation to life. They contribute toward luxury, effeminacy, indolence and voluptuousness. Indulgence in these things make one negligent of God and stifles all traces of spirituality. The other kind are those affairs which contribute toward the maintenance of livelihood, adding to the comfort, happiness and progress of the human family. Spiritual powers always come to the assistance of such affairs, they increase the moral insight and responsibility of man and add to his awareness and mindfulness."

People go to the theatre, amuse themselves with sight-seeing, each intent on his own occupation; they dance, they sing, they play, they make music, they walk, they talk, they are plunged in earthly thoughts, immersed in materiality, neglectful of God.

No man can be happy without God, though he may not know why he is miserable.

Say: Do ye rejoice in what ye possess while ye behold its passing? Leave it and turn unto the Countenance. This, verily, is the Goal, did ye but know.

Beware lest the world debar you from Him Who created it. Hasten ye unto the Kawthar of grace.

Thou dost not look to the world.

By God! My servants who have turned with radiant countenance toward the All-Merciful have divorced it.

How many a servant hath been prevented by the world from the Lord of Names, and how many a servant hath turned and attained unto the recognition of God, the Lord of the worlds.

Beware lest the affairs of the world withhold you from your Lord, the Most High, the All-Glorious. Cast them behind you and take what hath been given you from the presence of Him Who causeth the morning to break.

Beware lest your present condition prevent you from your ultimate destiny, and lest possessions veil you from the remembrance of your Lord, the Mighty, the Most High.

How strange that some souls, for the sake of the fleeting colors of this world and a life of but two days, have remained deprived of God's eternal bounties and everlasting life.

So the people of Baha attach their hearts to the other world. They seek happiness only from the world above.

These conditions of madness which are occupation with the affairs of this base world deserve to be forgotten and are worthy of abandonment at all times.

Every wise person will not rest his affections on the comfort and joys of temporary life. At all times one should seek the eternal truth.

All of the souls are either occupied in pleasure, play, or united in gathering worldly luxuries, and intoxicated with the melody of the world of nature. But the friends of God have held a heavenly feast and celebrated the anniversary of the appearance of the Dawn of Guidance, the Bab.

O Prince! May the King of Heaven assist thee! Place thy trust in God and turn away from the world, for He giveth life while it taketh it away; He is the Cherisher of justice while it is the oppressor; He nurtureth while it censureth. The tyrannical ones of the ages are themselves tyrannical, not time itself. May thy soul be happy!

O Khalilu'llah Shahi! This earthly realm is one of servitude, pollution, headache and helplessness.

Another cause was that they were firmly attached to the world. They had not in their hands the Divine Balance.

But for one whose entire attention is focused on this world--and this world is in the utmost difficulty--what can gladden his heart?

They are concerned for the well-being of their bodies but do not care for the protection of their spirits. They are not troubled about the perdition of their souls but are solicitous for the preservation of their corpses. They have no regard for the punishment of their minds but are perplexed over the chastisement of their physical bodies ....

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I wonder how the people can live in such an atmosphere all their lives and be happy, spending their precious time in hunting, and devising new games and pastimes.

Many people come here in a gala journey. They stop at the best hotels. They come here when they have nothing to fear, they travel in a company of friends and are a gay crowd! They do not realize they are on a pilgrimage to a holy place--and that they must pray much before they can understand it.

Turn wholly unto Him and be not of them whom the multiplication of worldly things hath altered and who have turned away.

Say: O people! Are ye content with this vain life while turning away from the dominion of immortality in the presence of Beauty?

All creation has been brought into being specifically for the knowledge of God; nevertheless, all have turned away from the eternal stations for the sake of this ephemeral world and remained deprived of their ultimate purpose.

In all conditions fix thy gaze upon the Self-Sufficient, the Most High, and with the ear of thy soul hearken unto the shrill voice of the Most Exalted Pen which is raised betwixt earth and heaven, that thou mayest discover its sweetness and become independent of the world and all that is therein through the remembrance of thy Friend.

O Rida! The metaphorical world and the visible world are both sheer nothingness, though they appear in the garment of existence. The first is the highwayman of the wayfarers, and the second is the trial of those who have arrived.

Leave the world behind you, turning unto God, the Forgiving, the Generous. That which ye possess will profit you not this day.

The splendor from Us be upon you and upon those whom the affairs of creation have not prevented from turning to the Lord of the Day of Judgment.

Beware lest the affairs of the world hold thee back. Leave them behind thee and turn with thy heart to the Most Sublime Horizon.

Beware lest what hath been created on earth prevent you from attaining unto the station whose decree hath been inscribed in the Preserved Tablet.

And if you wish to deliver yourself from evil ones and from all harm, leave the world to its people and never draw near to it.

Beware lest the world prevent you from attaining the presence of God. For this were ye created, did ye but know it.

Beware lest earthly affairs extinguish thee. Be thou aflame with this Fire which proclaimeth from the midmost heart of creation: "There is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the All-Forgiving."

If a man's thought is constantly aspiring towards heavenly subjects then does he become saintly; if on the other hand his thought does not soar, but is directed downwards to centre itself upon the things of this world, he grows more and more material until he arrives at a state little better than that of a mere animal.

Catalogue reference: ABU1414 · passage alignment is approximate; supplied wording retained.