Might honors the tenth of the nineteen months of the Bahá'í calendar. It is observed from September 8 until September 27. When thinking of Might an overwhelming feeling may occur as one wonders how it may be possible to distil from Bahá'u'lláh’s mighty Writings any one segment, to the exclusion of the thousands of references to any one attribute.
And then His “Hidden Words” comes to mind, that gem of simplicity that Shoghi Effendi declared was identified with the “Hidden Book of Fatimah,” believed to have been revealed by the Angel Gabriel through the Imam Ali for consolation of Muhammad’s daughter after His death. It had remained hidden from the world until Shoghi Effendi released it. As an aside, the 1954 edition contains a beautiful Introduction by George Townshend, which is absent in later versions, including a splendid discussion of ego.
Among the verses in “Hidden Words” are the following which mention Might:
HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES
“This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 3 --
24. O SON OF MAN!
“Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 9 --
67. O SON OF BEAUTY!
“By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 19, 20 --
In considering the concept of might, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of modern times which celebrate victories of one over another, whether on the athletic field or in the boardroom. We are a society of winners and losers. Even children playing together are conditioned to learn the feelings of pride to be gained through being better than another in many of their activities; my (whatever) is better than your (whatever.) This is not to say that each of us should not do the very best we can in all our daily activities. But do all our accomplishments need to come at the expense of another? Why do we not perform our very best in order to experience the satisfaction of knowing that we did the best we could, and then celebrate the accomplishments of our peers? Why not surround our activities in the aura of love as demonstrated by our Creator?
David Maxwell
HE IS THE GLORY OF GLORIES
“This is that which hath descended from the realm of glory, uttered by the tongue of power and might, and revealed unto the Prophets of old. We have taken the inner essence thereof and clothed it in the garment of brevity, as a token of grace unto the righteous, that they may stand faithful unto the Covenant of God, may fulfill in their lives His trust, and in the realm of spirit obtain the gem of Divine virtue.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 3 --
24. O SON OF MAN!
“Transgress not thy limits, nor claim that which beseemeth thee not. Prostrate thyself before the countenance of thy God, the Lord of might and power.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 9 --
67. O SON OF BEAUTY!
“By My spirit and by My favor! By My mercy and by My beauty! All that I have revealed unto thee with the tongue of power, and have written for thee with the pen of might, hath been in accordance with thy capacity and understanding, not with My state and the melody of My voice.”
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The Hidden Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 19, 20 --
In considering the concept of might, it is all too easy to fall into the trap of modern times which celebrate victories of one over another, whether on the athletic field or in the boardroom. We are a society of winners and losers. Even children playing together are conditioned to learn the feelings of pride to be gained through being better than another in many of their activities; my (whatever) is better than your (whatever.) This is not to say that each of us should not do the very best we can in all our daily activities. But do all our accomplishments need to come at the expense of another? Why do we not perform our very best in order to experience the satisfaction of knowing that we did the best we could, and then celebrate the accomplishments of our peers? Why not surround our activities in the aura of love as demonstrated by our Creator?
David Maxwell
1 comment:
The silence on 9/11 incident reflects the Bahai cowardice and selfishness.
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