This Feast is based on an article by Nader Saiedi, Baha’i Imperative to Associate with Everyone, which is Part 7 in a series Nineteen Reflections on 19 Sacred Words.
Note: Extended quotes have been added as well as the quote from the Universal House of Justice.
Comments: Excerpts from the article by Nader Saiedi
One of the most central Persian words frequently emphasized in the writings of Baha’u’llah is mu’ashirat. This word, as translated by Shoghi Effendi, means “associating, consorting and mingling with others.” Linguistically, the term implies frequent and intimate interaction, friendship, companionship and relation with others — all others.
Baha’u’llah encourages frequent and friendly interaction as the main cause of social dynamics and social progress. Likewise, Baha’u’llah defined association with others as the cause of social unity which, in turn, causes social order.
1. The second Taráz is to consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship, to proclaim that which the Speaker on Sinai hath set forth and to observe fairness in all matters.
They that are endued with sincerity and faithfulness should associate with all the peoples and kindreds of the earth with joy and radiance, inasmuch as consorting with people hath promoted and will continue to promote unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the world and to the regeneration of nations. Blessed are such as hold fast to the cord of kindliness and tender mercy and are free from animosity and hatred.
This Wronged One exhorteth the peoples of the world to observe tolerance and righteousness, which are two lights amidst the darkness of the world and two educators for the edification of mankind. Happy are they who have attained thereto and woe betide the heedless. ~ Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
2. Unity and fellowship, however, are the greatest means for the advancement of mankind and the development of nations. ~ Baha’u’llah, quoted by the author in Logos and Civilization, p. 304.
3. It is incumbent upon every man, in this Day, to hold fast unto whatsoever will promote the interests, and exalt the station, of all nations and just governments. Through each and every one of the verses which the Pen of the Most High hath revealed, the doors of love and unity have been unlocked and flung open to the face of men. We have erewhile declared—and Our Word is the truth—: “Consort with the followers of all religions in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship.” Whatsoever hath led the children of men to shun one another, and hath caused dissensions and divisions amongst them, hath, through the revelation of these words, been nullified and abolished. From the heaven of God’s Will, and for the purpose of ennobling the world of being and of elevating the minds and souls of men, hath been sent down that which is the most effective instrument for theeducation of the whole human race. The highest essence and most perfect expression of whatsoever the peoples of old have either said or written hath, through this most potent Revelation, beensent down from the heaven of the Will of the All-Possessing, the Ever-Abiding God. Of old it hath been revealed: “Love of one’s country is an element of the Faith of God.” The Tongue of Grandeur hath, however, in the day of His manifestation proclaimed: “It is not his to boast who loveth his country, but it is his who loveth the world.” Through the power released by these exalted words He hath lent a fresh impulse, and set a new direction, to the birds of men’s hearts, and hath obliterated every trace of restriction and limitation from God’s holy Book. ~ Baha’u’llah ~ LAWH-I-DUNYÁ (Tablet of the World)
4. O people of Justice! Be as brilliant as the light, and as splendid as the fire that blazed in the Burning Bush. The brightness of the fire of your love will no doubt fuse and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth, whilst the fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result in strife and ruin. We beseech God that He may shield His creatures from the evil designs of His enemies. He verily hath power over all things. ~ Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah
5. All praise be to the one true God—exalted be His glory—inasmuch as He hath, through the Pen of the Most High, unlocked the doors of men’s hearts. Every verse which this Pen hath revealed is a bright and shining portal that discloseth the glories of a saintly and pious life, of pure and stainless deeds. The summons and the message which We gave were never intended to reach or to benefit one land or one people only. Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain unto true liberty. The whole earth is illuminated with the resplendent glory of God’s Revelation. In the year sixty He Who heralded the light of Divine Guidance—may all creation be a sacrifice unto Him—arose to announce a fresh revelation of the Divine Spirit, and was followed, twenty years later, by Him through Whose coming the world was made the recipient of this promised glory, this wondrous favor. Behold how the generality of mankind hath been endued with the capacity to hearken unto God’s most exalted Word—the Word upon which must depend the gathering together and spiritual resurrection of all men. ~ Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah
6. Incline your hearts, O people of God, unto the counsels of your true, your incomparable Friend. The Word of God may be likened unto a sapling, whose roots have been implanted in the hearts of men. It is incumbent upon you to foster its growth through the living waters of wisdom, of sanctified and holy words, so that its root may become firmly fixed and its branches may spread out as high as the heavens and beyond. ~ Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah
7. O ye that dwell on earth! The distinguishing feature that marketh the preeminent character of this Supreme Revelation consisteth in that We have, on the one hand, blotted out from the pages of God’s holy Book whatsoever hath been the cause of strife, of malice and mischief amongst the children of men, and have, on the other, laid down the essential prerequisites of concord, of understanding, of complete and enduring unity. Well is it with them that keep My statutes. ~ Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah
Song: Statutes by Ali Youssefi
8. Time and again have We admonished Our beloved ones to avoid, nay to flee from, anything whatsoever from which the odor of mischief can be detected. The world is in great turmoil, and the minds of its people are in a state of utter confusion. We entreat the Almighty that He may graciously illuminate them with the glory of His Justice, and enable them to discover that which will be profitable unto them at all times and under all conditions. He, verily is the All-Possessing, the Most High. ~ Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
9. Baha’u’llah presented this imperative of intimate and frequent interaction with all others as the ultimate solution to social conflict and enmity in the world:
… consorting with people hath promoted and will continue to promote unity and concord, which in turn are conducive to the maintenance of order in the world. ~ Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh Revealed After the Kitáb-i-Aqdas
10. Baha’u’llah relates this imperative of mingling with others to his mystical notion of the purification of heart, the consciousness that all dwell in one world and the fact that all are created by the same divine word:
Illumine and hallow your hearts; let them not be profaned by the thorns of hate or the thistles of malice. Ye dwell in one world, and have been created through the operation of one Will. Blessed is he who mingleth with all men in a spirit of utmost kindliness and love. ~ Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh
11. Baha’u’llah’s abrogation of avoiding, hating, discriminating, and killing of other groups is conceptually based upon his pronouncement on the first day of Ridvan. The regulating principle of this new world is the beauty and sanctity of all people and all beings:
…the one true God, exalted be His Glory, at that very moment shed the splendours of all His Names upon the whole creation.
Comments: Excerpts from the article by Nader Saiedi
For Baha’u’llah, this intense interaction should constitute the basis of the sanctity of the institution of the family as the building block of morality and social solidarity. Strong, loving, interacting families provide the occasion for learning solidarity with the entire human race. For Baha’is, the entire world has to become one family. In Baha’u’llah’s Most Holy Book, he calls for the realization of a universal auxiliary language which makes communication and interaction among all people possible, as the sign of the maturation of humanity. The imperative of consultation and democracy are also inseparable from his idea of consorting, associating, and mingling with others in a spirit of love, harmony, and friendliness.
12. THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE 22 July 2020 To the Bahá’ís of the United States:
Ultimately, the power to transform the world is effected by love, love originating from the relationship with the divine, love ablaze among members of a community, love extended without restriction to every human being. This divine love, ignited by the Word of God, is disseminated by enkindled souls through intimate conversations that create new susceptibilities in human hearts, open minds to moral persuasion, and loosen the hold of biased norms and social systems so that they can gradually take on a new form in keeping with the requirements of humanity’s age of maturity. You are channels for this divine love; let it flow through you to all who cross your path. Infuse it into every neighborhood and social space in which you move to build capacity to canalize the society-building power of Bahá’u’lláh’s Revelation. There can be no rest until the destined outcome is achieved.
Song: Love is Shining by Ali Youssefi