“O Son of Being! With the hands of power I made thee and with the fingers of strength I created thee; and within thee have I placed the essence of My light. Be thou content with it and seek naught else, for My work is perfect and My command is binding. Question it not, nor have a doubt thereof.”
(Bahá’u’lláh, Hidden Words, Arabic 12)
“What is love?”
The age-old mystery many philosophers have dedicated their lives to exploring. Humanity has been desiring to know how and where and who to “get it” from for centuries. Movies, songs, novels, and paintings have all been created in the name of love. Love is something you share and receive. It is a force so strong that it exalts the spiritual station of man. ‘Abdu’l-Bahá revealed the following verse that encapsulates the gift of love:
“The greatest gift of man is universal love – that magnet which renders existence eternal. It attracts realities and diffuses life with infinite joy. If this love penetrates the heart of man, all the forces of the universe will be realized in him, for it is a divine power which transports him to a divine station, and he will make no progress until he is illumined thereby.”
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Divine Philosophy, p. 111-112)
Humanity has spent centuries trying to attain this elusive force. And yet, it is often found where we are least likely to look; within. Once we have accessed this powerful force, we have a responsibility to share it and exemplify it to others so that they can activate, amplify, and share it too. This is how we generate momentum in nurturing a higher recognition, realization and awareness of its potent power that leaves a legacy of illumination by transforming hearts, minds, and states of being. The following verse provides a very beautiful description of what love is according to the Baha’i Teachings:
“Know thou of a certainty that Love is the secret of God’s holy Dispensation, the manifestation of the All-Merciful, the fountain of spiritual outpourings.
Love is heaven’s kindly light, the Holy Spirit’s eternal breath that vivifieth the human soul.
Love is the cause of God’s revelation unto man, the vital bond inherent, in accordance with the divine creation, in the realities of things.
Love is the one means that ensureth true felicity both in this world and the next. Love is the light that guideth in darkness, the living link that uniteth God with man, that assureth the progress of every illumined soul.
Love is the greatest law that ruleth this mighty and heavenly cycle, the unique power that bindeth together the diverse elements of this material world, the supreme magnetic force that directeth the movements of the spheres in the celestial realms.
Love revealeth with unfailing and limitless power the mysteries latent in the universe.
Love is the spirit of life unto the adorned body of mankind, the establisher of true civilization in this mortal world, and the shedder of imperishable glory upon every high-aiming race and nation.
- Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 27.
So how do cultivate the light of love that we can share? Who shows us how to exemplify this kind of love? The Manifestations of God promote love as the most powerful force. God has been sending Divine Educators to humanity since the beginning of time and He will continue to do so for all eternity. This is referred to in the Baha’i Writings as the “Eternal Covenant”. It is a promise made to humanity by God that He will never leave us without His Divine Educators of wisdom and guidance. God’s laws are also like lamps that guide us through this realm of tests and challenges. These tests and challenges strengthen us and prepare us for the worlds beyond this realm. These laws provide us with the liberty to remain serene within this disordered and chaotic world because these laws are also like an instruction manual that provides the formula for navigating this world. The tests and challenges that each soul experiences in this world are unique to them and presented in such a way that it will refine that individual’s capacity and virtues. God loves us so much that He wants us to attain our highest degree of perfection so that we can become advanced instruments of His grace and bounty and share the light of love with those that we meet daily.
When we are not plugged into love we feel discardable, rejected, and abandoned and alone. In a world that has seemingly lost its sense of humanity and compassion, we are not equipped to navigate the acts of cruelty and tyranny that we see on our screens. Bad news has become a commodity because it activates another powerful force: fear.
Fear brainwashes us into believing that there is not enough and amplifies the echoes of lack and scarcity. At a young age, we are conditioned to believe that there is not enough for everyone and concepts like competition, which breeds disunity, are implemented in all spheres of society i.e., family, education, business, sport etc. There is little recognition of the beauty of collaboration and cooperation. People have become so attached to their socialized identities that we are ignoring that we are all the same kind and kindred.
However, humanity is beginning to stir from its deep slumber. There is an awakening and an elevation of consciousness. Humanity is realizing that these outdated systems of oppression, coercion, tyranny and “tough love” generated a culture of iniquity and inequality. With the empowerment of women on the rise and the deconstruction of patriarchal patterns, we can mobilize transformation in the family unit and therefore the world. More and more women and members of minority groups are receiving the acknowledgement recognition and respect that has been required to stabilize the equilibrium of society’s dysfunction. Although many contend that religion has influenced the dysfunction in the systems of the world it should be noted that apathy has resulted in a global culture that practices immorality and lack of spirituality. There is an aversion to the practices that enhance Godliness and virtuous living which would serve as a remedy to our culture of disdain and perversity. One of the vital ways to implement Godliness and spirituality is through celebrating and spreading the Message of God’s infinite, eternal and sacred Love for humanity and exposing society to His Teachings and His Creative Word which has the potent power to transform hearts, minds, and souls. When we allow the Creative Word of God to transform our state of being, we begin to serve as testimonials of God’s grace and benevolence. We adopt a spiritual eye and build distinguished characters of excellence that promote exemplary conduct and attitudes that foster and promote the advancement and principled progress of the world.
Many would say that there is no more love in this world. It is not that there is not enough love. There is plenty of it in this realm and the worlds beyond! We just haven’t accessed it fully and wisely by plugging ourselves into it. We should always remember that God is the Source of all Love. As humans, we often confuse love with infatuation and fascination. “I love you” gets tossed around easily and while I am all for words of affirmation and encouragement, I think we have forgotten to place sincerity behind this heart-empowering phrase. Love goes beyond the tangible feeling of warmth and affection. Of course, warmth and affection are important components of love. Both are expressions of love. But more importantly, love is a verb. It is a doing word. It requires action. Allow me to share a quote by Abdu’l-Baha to reinforce these sentiments:
“If I love you, I need not continually speak of my love — you will know without any words. On the other hand, if I love you not, that also will you know — and you would not believe me, were I to tell you in a thousand words, that I loved you.”
How many of us go through our days telling our dear ones that we love them without demonstrating our love for them through our thoughts, demeanours, and behaviours? What about our attitudes and unrealistic, unspoken expectations? How fair are we in our judgement and assumptions? How often do we take advantage of those we claim to love by displacing our anger and frustration on them because we had an overwhelming moment? Yes, we are messy little humans who struggle with our big feelings, but we should always keep in mind that love is habitual, it is something that must be practised so that we can refine ourselves as conduits of light that bring joy to the hearts of those that we hold so dear to our heart. I think we view the world as loveless because we have forgotten how to practice love. We did not always have access to role models who showed how to exemplify love, how to share it, more importantly how to receive it and how to channel it for reasons that extend beyond our little bubble of reality.
For me, love is associated with spirituality as it is a virtue and quality of the soul. If you monitor the media, you can see a lack of Godliness and spiritualization in society. Or at least there seems to be an overemphasis on creating a culture of permissiveness in the world. We claim we want liberty and then do the very things that entrap our souls. We have forgotten that real love starts with our relationship with the Divine. God’s love is the very reason for our being. And when we make God the centre of our life, we learn how to share and receive love with others while avoiding the prison of co-dependency.
In the Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah, we are assured that out of the ancient eternity of God’s essence, He knew His love for us. He engraved in us His image and revealed to us His beauty. This is one of my favourite Hidden Words because it assures me that at the very core of my essence, I was created from love, I was created as love, and I was created to love. We sometimes think that to be stamped as “precious”, “worthy” and “deserving” we must overcompensate and “jump through hoops” to attain a state that makes us feel embraced, assured, and redeemed. Love is written and embedded in our DNA. It is who we are. We do not ever need to prove our worth and value but should find the balance between knowing and being the engravings of love.
So, we have determined that the purpose of our life is love. But this love must go both ways to reap its benefits. The love that exists between us and God requires reciprocity. For us to experience the Light of God’s Love, we need to position our hearts towards Him and sincerely intend to use every spiritual test and affliction to draw ever nearer to Him.
A noble soul that greatly affected my spiritual journey was my beloved grandmother, Yasmine Gallow. Although she has passed on, her legacy continues through her embrace of God’s Teachings and her commitment to her Covenant with God to be steadfast in her love for Him and to carry out His exhortations and counsels. My grandmother was the embodiment of love. She taught me about God each day after school. We read stories and had many conversations about how God wants us to obey Him and love others. She always reminded me how we should love and accept others for the sake of God. Her devotion to the Heavenly Source of Creation despite persecution and condemnation for her choice of Faith, demonstrated resilience and steadfastness and motivated me to journey through life with complete faith that God is always guiding, loving, and providing.
One of God’s infinite signs of His Love for humanity is His Laws. These laws protect us and lead us to a state of progress and advancement. God’s laws are like lamps that illumine our hearts and provide us with a heavenly assurance of His ever-abiding Presence. When we observe God’s counsel and adhere to His guidance, we receive divine confirmations and assistance that no man can revoke. We receive a portion of grace and favour that illumines every corner of our soul and inspires us to aspire to a continual state of perfection. We might never attain that state of pure perfection but the journey towards that goal enables our growth and learning that we can use to illumine and encourage others to pursue and in turn create a new race of men that can reflect Heavenly light and the love of God on this earthly plane. We are truly blessed to have received His loving illumination that enkindles our spirits to serve as protagonists of purpose who can inspire, uplift, and elevate the hearts of all. Our aim should be to become enkindled souls who are driven by the notion that our love of God can change the world when we practice being instruments of unity and concord, affection, and fellowship and that are ever receptive to His confirmations and benevolence, guidance, and wisdom. Here is a short prayer that can provide affirmation that this aim is noble but more importantly, achievable with the assistance of the Heavenly Realms.
“O my Lord! O my Lord! This is a lamp lighted by the fire of Thy love and ablaze with the flame which is ignited in the tree of Thy mercy. O my Lord! Increase his enkindlement, heat and flame, with the fire which is kindled in the Sinai of Thy Manifestation. Verily, Thou art the Confirmer, the Assister, the Powerful, the Generous, the Loving.”
‘Abdu’l-Bahá
