Likewise didst thou ask whether, in this Bahá'í
Dispensation, the spiritual will ultimately prevail. It is certain that
spirituality will defeat materialism, that the heavenly will subdue the human,
and that through divine education the masses of mankind generally will take
great steps forward in all degrees of life—except for those who are blind and
deaf and mute and dead.
(Selections from the Writings of
Abdu'l-Baha:191)
It
may be instructive and interesting at this juncture to trace some of the
imagery used to describe materialism in the Bahá’í Writings.
Shoghi
Effendi gives us the first lead when he states: “It is this same cancerous materialism, born originally in
Europe, carried to excess in the North American continent, contaminating the
Asiatic peoples and nations, spreading its ominous tentacles to the borders of
Africa, and now invading its very heart, which Bahá'u'lláh in unequivocal and
emphatic language denounced in His Writings, comparing it to a devouring flame
and regarding it as the chief factor in precipitating the dire ordeals and
world-shaking crises that must necessarily involve the burning of cities and
the spread of terror and consternation in the hearts of men.” (Citadel of Faith: 124)
When
Shoghi Effendi says that Baha’u’llah compares materialism to “a devouring
flame”, he is, likely, making reference to this statement: “Paradise is on your
right hand, and hath been brought nigh unto you, while Hell hath been made to
blaze. Witness its devouring flame.” (Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah: 44)
But in other places, too,
Baha’u’llah contrasts hell being made to blaze (the fires of desire and
frustrated desire burning in the hearts of those attached to this world) with
the image of Paradise. For example: “Paradise is decked with mystic roses, and
hell hath been made to blaze with the fire of the impious.” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah:119) These images of Paradise and Hell are
conditions of belief in the heart, for He, in another place states: “They say:
'Where is Paradise, and where is Hell?' Say: 'The one is reunion with Me; the
other thine own self, O thou who dost associate a partner with God and
doubtest.'” (Tablets of Baha'u'llah:118) They are the twin opposite effects of
Revelation appearing in this world of oppositions; i.e. both poles of the
opposition are energized.
Inwardly, the twin effects of
Revelation are to attract the believing heart and to repel the deniers of
spiritual reality. But there is, too, twin
social effects resulting from the release of such powerful spiritual
forces. The first is to unite peoples
into a new social order, but the second is to release forces of dissension to
break apart the existing social structure. A well-known example of such a
statement is when Baha’u’llah speaks of the effects of the Revelation of the
Bab: “No sooner had that Revelation been unveiled to men's eyes than the signs
of universal discord appeared among the peoples of the world, and commotion
seized the dwellers of earth and heaven, and the foundations of all things were
shaken. The forces of dissension were released, the meaning of the Word was
unfolded, and every several atom in all created things acquired its own
distinct and separate character. Hell was made to blaze, and the delights of
Paradise were uncovered to men's eyes.” (Prayers
and Meditations by Baha'u'llah:296)
Another is: “And all this, when the Day of Resurrection hath been
ushered in, and the Trumpet hath been sounded, and all the denizens of earth
and heaven have been gathered together, and the Balance hath been
appointed, and the Bridge hath been laid, and the Verses have been sent down,
and the Sun hath shone forth, and the stars have been blotted out, and the
souls have been raised to life, and the breath of the Spirit hath blown, and
the angels have been arrayed in ranks, and Paradise hath been brought nigh, and
Hell made to blaze! These things have all come to pass, and yet to this day not
a single one of these people hath recognized them!” (Gems of Divine Mysteries: 20)
Perhaps
of significance in this regard is the Conference of Badasht in 1848 where,
according to Shoghi Effendi, the severing of the Babi Faith from the shackles
of Islam and its proclamation as a new, independent religion was effected. Simultaneously, upheavals in Europe that same
year, 1848, occurred. This series
of republican revolts against the monarchies of Europe, beginning in
Sicily and spreading through western and central Europe, became known as
the Spring of Nations, Springtime of the Peoples or the Year of
Revolution. It remains the most widespread revolutionary wave in European
history, though reactionary forces soon regained control, and the revolutions
collapsed.
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