Dear Bahá’í Friend,
… we will gladly attempt to clarify some of the points which
bewilder you in the relationship of Bahá’ís to politics. This is a matter of
very great importance, particularly in these days when the world situation is
so confused; an unwise act or statement by a Bahá’í in one country could result
in a grave setback for the Faith there or elsewhere—and even loss of the lives
of fellow-believers.
The whole conduct of a Bahá’í in relation to the problems,
sufferings and bewilderment of his fellowmen should be viewed in the light of
God’s purpose for mankind in this age and the processes He has set in motion
for its achievement.
When Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed His Message to the world in the
nineteenth century He made it abundantly clear that the first step essential
for the peace and progress of mankind was its unification. As He says, “The
well-being of mankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until
its unity is firmly established.” (The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 203) To
this day, however, you will find most people take the opposite point of view:
they look upon unity as an ultimate almost unattainable goal and concentrate
first on remedying all the other ills of mankind. If they did but know it,
these other ills are but various symptoms and side effects of the basic
disease—disunity.
Bahá’u’lláh has, furthermore, stated that the revivification
of mankind and the curing of all its ills can be achieved only through the
instrumentality of His Faith. “The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out
in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The
corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else
but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it?” (Gleanings,
XCIX) “That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest
instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in
one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except
through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician. This,
verily, is the truth, and all else naught but error.” (Gleanings, CXX) In
similar vein, the beloved Guardian wrote:
Humanity, whether viewed in the light of man’s individual
conduct or in the existing relationships between organized communities and
nations, has, alas, strayed too far and suffered too great a decline to be
redeemed through the unaided efforts of the best among its recognized rulers
and statesmen—however disinterested their motives, however concerted their
action, however unsparing in their zeal and devotion to its cause. No scheme
which the calculations of the highest statesmanship may yet devise, no doctrine
which the most distinguished exponents of economic theory may hope to advance,
no principle which the most ardent of moralists may strive to inculcate, can
provide, in the last resort, adequate foundations upon which the future of a
distracted world can be built. No appeal for mutual tolerance which the
worldly-wise might raise, however compelling and insistent, can calm its
passions or help restore its vigor. Nor would any general scheme of mere
organized international cooperation, in whatever sphere of human activity,
however ingenious in conception or extensive in scope, succeed in removing the root
cause of the evil that has so rudely upset the equilibrium of present-day
society. Not even, I venture to assert, would the very act of devising the
machinery required for the political and economic unification of the world—a
principle that has been increasingly advocated in recent times—provide in
itself the antidote against the poison that is steadily undermining the vigor
of organized peoples and nations. What else, might we not confidently affirm,
but the unreserved acceptance of the Divine Program enunciated, with such
simplicity and force as far back as sixty years ago, by Bahá’u’lláh, embodying
in its essentials God’s divinely appointed scheme for the unification of
mankind in this age, coupled with an indomitable conviction in the unfailing
efficacy of each and all of its provisions, is eventually capable of
withstanding the forces of internal disintegration which, if unchecked, must
needs continue to eat into the vitals of a despairing society.
(The World Order of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 33–34)
We are told by Shoghi Effendi that two great processes are
at work in the world: the great Plan of God, tumultuous in its progress,
working through mankind as a whole, tearing down barriers to world unity and
forging humankind into a unified body in the fires of suffering and experience.
This process will produce in God’s due time, the Lesser Peace, the political
unification of the world. Mankind at that time can be likened to a body that is
unified but without life. The second process, the task of breathing life into
this unified body—of creating true unity and spirituality culminating in the
Most Great Peace—is that of the Bahá’ís, who are laboring consciously, with
detailed instructions and continuing divine guidance, to erect the fabric of
the Kingdom of God on earth, into which they call their fellowmen, thus
conferring upon them eternal life.
The working out of God’s Major Plan proceeds mysteriously in
ways directed by Him alone, but the Minor Plan that He has given us to execute,
as our part in His grand design for the redemption of mankind, is clearly
delineated. It is to this work that we must devote all our energies, for there
is no one else to do it. So vital is this function of the Bahá’ís that
Bahá’u’lláh has written: “O friends! Be not careless of the virtues with which
ye have been endowed, neither be neglectful of your high destiny. Suffer not
your labors to be wasted through the vain imaginations which certain hearts
have devised. Ye are the stars of the heaven of understanding, the breeze that
stirreth at the break of day, the soft-flowing waters upon which must depend
the very life of all men, the letters inscribed upon His sacred scroll. With
the utmost unity, and in a spirit of perfect fellowship, exert yourselves, that
ye may be enabled to achieve that which beseemeth this Day of God.” (Gleanings,
XCVI)
Because love for our fellowmen and anguish at their plight
are essential parts of a true Bahá’í’s life, we are continually drawn to do
what we can to help them. It is vitally important that we do so whenever the
occasion presents itself, for our actions must say the same thing as our
words—but this compassion for our fellows must not be allowed to divert our
energies into channels which are ultimately doomed to failure, causing us to
neglect the most important and fundamental work of all. There are hundreds of
thousands of well-wishers of mankind who devote their lives to works of relief
and charity, but a pitiful few to do the work which God Himself most wants
done: the spiritual awakening and regeneration of mankind.
It is often through our misguided feeling that we can
somehow aid our fellows better by some activity outside the Faith, that Bahá’ís
are led to indulge in politics. This is a dangerous delusion. As Shoghi
Effendi’s secretary wrote on his behalf: “What we Bahá’ís must face is the fact
that society is rapidly disintegrating—so rapidly that moral issues which were
clear a half century ago are now hopelessly confused, and what is more,
thoroughly mixed up with battling political interests. That is why the Bahá’ís
must turn all their forces into the channel of building up the Bahá’í Cause and
its administration. They can neither change nor help the world in any other way
at present. If they become involved in the issues the governments of the world
are struggling over, they will be lost. But if they build up the Bahá’í pattern
they can offer it as a remedy when all else has failed.” (Bahá’í News, No. 241,
p. 14) “We must build up our Bahá’í system, and leave the faulty systems of the
world to go their own way. We cannot change them through becoming involved in
them; on the contrary they will destroy us.” (Bahá’í News, No. 215, p. 1)
Other instructions from the Guardian, covering the same
theme in more detail, can be found on pages 24 and 29 to 32 of Principles of
Bahá’í Administration (1963 edition); you are no doubt already familiar with
these.
The key to a true understanding of these principles seems to
be in these words of Bahá’u’lláh: “O people of God! Do not busy yourselves in
your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate
the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men. This can best
be achieved through pure and holy deeds, through a virtuous life and a goodly
behavior. Valiant acts will ensure the triumph of this Cause, and a saintly
character will reinforce its power. Cleave unto righteousness, O people of
Bahá! This, verily, is the commandment which this wronged One hath given unto
you, and the first choice of His unrestrained Will for every one of you.” (Gleanings,
XLIII).
With loving Bahá’í greetings,
[signed: The Universal House of Justice]
('Messages from the Universal House of Justice 1963-1986')