Devotional on Race Amity

‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Race Amity Work in America and the Black Intelligentsia Who Took Notice

Writings of Baha’u’llah ~ Oneness and Unity (1853-1892)

1. O CHILDREN OF MEN! Know ye not why We created you all from the same dust? That no one should exalt himself over the other. Ponder at all times in your hearts how ye were created. Since We have created you all from one same substance it is incumbent on you to be even as one soul, to walk with the same feet, eat with the same mouth and dwell in the same land, that from your inmost being, by your deeds and actions, the signs of oneness and the essence of detachment may be made manifest. Such is My counsel to you, O concourse of light! Heed ye this counsel that ye may obtain the fruit of holiness from the tree of wondrous glory. The Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah

2. 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.

3. All men have been created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization. The Almighty beareth Me witness: To act like the beasts of the field is unworthy of man. Those virtues that befit his dignity are forbearance, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all the peoples and kindreds of the earth.

4. That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race.Verily, the words which have descended from the heaven of the Will of God are the source of unity and harmony for the world. Close your eyes to racial differences and welcome all with the light of oneness.

5. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch. Deal ye one with another with the utmost love and harmony, with friendliness and fellowship. He Who is the Daystar of Truth beareth Me witness! So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth.

6. He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one body. Haste ye to win your share of God’s good grace and mercy in this Day that eclipseth all other created Days.

7. Shut your eyes to estrangement, then fix your gaze upon unity. Cleave tenaciously unto that which will lead to the well-being and tranquillity of all mankind.

 

Comments by Host: ‘Abdu’l-Baha was appointed by Baha’u’llah as Interpreter of His Word. Baha’u’llah referred to Him as The Master as His life was the perfect example of what it means to be a Baha’i.  After a lifetime of exile and imprisonment ‘Abdu’l-Baha at the age of 68 was determined to take His Father’s teachings to the West. In 1912 he journeyed throughout America for 239 days. etc.

Flower mandala by Nadia Mulhall, Yellow Springs, Ohio

Excerpts from the Talks of ‘Abdu’l-Baha ~ Beauty of Diversity 

8. The diversity in the human family should be the cause of love and harmony, as it is in music where many different notes blend together in the making of a perfect chord. If you meet those of different race and colour from yourself, do not mistrust them and withdraw yourself into your shell of conventionality, but rather be glad and show them kindness. Think of them as different coloured roses growing in the beautiful garden of humanity, and rejoice to be among them. (Paris Talks October 28, 1911)

9. The truth is that God has endowed man with virtues, powers and ideal faculties of which nature is entirely bereft and by which man is elevated, distinguished and superior. We must thank God for these bestowals, for these powers He has given us, for this crown He has placed upon our heads.

How shall we utilize these gifts and expend these bounties? By directing our efforts toward the unification of the human race. We must use these powers in establishing the oneness of the world of humanity, appreciate these virtues by accomplishing the unity of whites and blacks, devote this divine intelligence to the perfecting of amity and accord among all branches of the human family so that under the protection and providence of God the East and West may hold each other’s hands and become as lovers. Then will mankind be as one nation, one race and kind — as waves of one ocean. Although these waves may differ in form and shape, they are waves of the same sea. Flowers may be variegated in colors, but they are all flowers of one garden. Trees differ though they grow in the same orchard. All are nourished and quickened into life by the bounty of the same rain, all grow and develop by the heat and light of the one sun, all are refreshed and exhilarated by the same breeze that they may bring forth varied fruits. This is according to the creative wisdom. If all trees bore the same kind of fruit, it would cease to be delicious. In their never-ending variety man finds enjoyment instead of monotony.

And now as I look into your faces, I am reminded of trees varying in color and form but all bearing luscious and delectable fruits, fragrant and delightful to the inner and outer senses. The radiance and spirituality of this meeting is through the favor of God. Our hearts are uplifted in thankfulness to Him. Praise be to God!… (Talk to Bethel Literary Society Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church Washington, D.C. April 23,1912)

10. In the clustered jewels of the races, may the blacks be as sapphires and rubies and the whites as diamonds and pearls. The composite beauty of humanity will be witnessed in their unity and blending. How glorious the spectacle of real unity among mankind! How conducive to peace, confidence and happiness if races and nations were united in fellowship and accord! … When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine, the day of eternal glory and bliss will dawn, the spirit of God encompass, and the divine favors descend.

When the racial elements of the American nation unite in actual fellowship and accord, the lights of the oneness of humanity will shine, the day of eternal glory and bliss will dawn, the spirit of God encompass and the divine favors descend. … This is the sign of the ‘Most Great Peace’. (Home of Mrs. Andrew J. Dyer, April 24, 1912 Washington D.C.)

11. But there is need of a superior power to overcome human prejudices, a power which nothing in the world of mankind can withstand and which will overshadow the effect of all other forces at work in human conditions. That irresistible power is the love of God. It is my hope and prayer that it may destroy the prejudice of this one point of distinction between you and unite you all permanently under its hallowed protection. Bahá’u’lláh has proclaimed the oneness of the world of humanity. He has caused various nations and divergent creeds to unite. He has declared that difference of race and color is like the variegated beauty of flowers in a garden. If you enter a garden, you will see yellow, white, blue, red flowers in profusion and beauty — each radiant within itself and although different from the others, lending its own charm to them. Racial difference in the human kingdom is similar. If all the flowers in a garden were of the same color, the effect would be monotonous and wearying to the eye.

Therefore, Bahá’u’lláh hath said that the various races of humankind lend a composite harmony and beauty of color to the whole. Let all associate, therefore, in this great human garden even as flowers grow and blend together side by side without discord or disagreement between them. (Talk at Hull House – Chicago, Illinois, April 30, 1912)

For the month of May, Du Bois devoted almost the entire body of his “Men of the Month” column of The Crisis to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. The Crisis, May 1912.

12. Address of Abdul-Baha at the Fourth Annual Conference, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Handel Hall, Chicago, April 30, 1912 (Translated by Dr. Ameen U. Fareed and taken stenographically by Joseph H. Hannen.)

God has stated in the Bible, the Old Testament, “We have created man in our own image and likeness.” This statement indicates the fact that man in some particular is of the image and likeness of God; that is to say, the Perfections of God, the Divine Virtues, have become reflected or revealed in the human reality. Just as the effulgence and the light of the sun, when cast upon a mirror, is reflected fully, gloriously, if the mirror be polished, so likewise the virtues of Divinity are possible of reflection in the human reality. And this makes it evident that man is the most noble of God’s creatures.

When you observe created beings, you find that the mineral kingdom is endowed with certain virtues And we observe that the vegetable kingdom has not only the virtues of the mineral kingdom but it is endowed with another property, or, namely, the virtue augmentative or the power of growth. The animal kingdom possesses the virtues or powers of the mineral kingdom plus those of the vegetable kingdom, and moreover it possesses certain peculiar properties of its own. The human kingdom is endowed with the virtues or perfections of the mineral kingdom and those of the vegetable kingdom, and the perfections of the animal kingdom, and moreover has the human virtues. This makes it evident that man is superior and most noble, and he is the most glorious of beings! Man is the microcosm and this endless world is the macrocosm. But the mysteries of the macrocosm, the greater world, are expressed or revealed in the microcosm or the lesser world. The tree is the greater world, so to speak, and a seed holds the relation of the lesser world. But the whole of the tree is potentially latent in the seed. An immense tree, a colossal tree, is latent or hidden within a small seed. So when this seed is cultivated, is planted, then it is made possible of revelation. Likewise the greater world, the macrocosm, is latent and involved in the microcosm or the lesser world, and that is the universality of the virtues which is particularized in man. This man who has been called the image and likeness of God:

Let us find out just where and how he is the image and likeness of the Lord, and what is the standard or criterion whereby he can be measured. The criterion or the standard can be no other than the Divine virtues within men, which are Divine and after His image. Therefore every man who is imbued with the Divine qualities, who reveals the heavenly perfections and heavenly morals, who is an expression of the praiseworthy attributes, ideal in nature, is verily an image and likeness of God. If a man should possess wealth, can we call him an image and likeness of God? Or is human honor the criterion whereby he can be called the image of God? Or can we apply a color test as a criterion, and say such and such an one is colored with a certain hue and he is, therefore, in the image of God? Can we say, for example, a man who is green in hue is an image of God? Or can we make another distinction, saying that one who is white is any more an image of God? Is simply the white color a criterion whereby man is to be judged? And shall we make a sweeping statement like that? Or is it reasonable for us to choose the dark color, supposing we say a colored man is, after all, the image and likeness, just because of his color, or the red skinned man, shall he be the image and likeness of God? Or shall we declare the yellow race to be a creation and therefore an image and likeness of God? Can we say simply that so and so is yellow in color, therefore he must be an image and likeness of God? Hence we come to the conclusion that colors are of no importance Colors are accidental in nature. That which is essential is the humanitarian aspect. And that is the manifestation of Divine virtues and that is the Merciful Bestowals. That is the Eternal Life. That is the baptism through the Holy Spirit. Therefore let it be known that color is of no importance Man, who is the image and likeness of God, who is the manifestation of the Bestowals of God, is acceptable at the Threshold of God whatever be his color. Let him be blue in color, or white, or green, or brown, that matters not!

Man is not to be pronounced man simply because of bodily attributes. Man is to be judged according to his intelligence and to his spirit. Because he is to be judged according to spirit and intelligent therefore let that be the only criterion. That is the image of God. A man’s heart may be pure and white though his outer skin be black; or his heart be dark and sinful though his racial color is white. Therefore, of all importance is the character of the heart. The heart which is brighter, in the estimation of God, is dearer. Inasmuch as God has endowed man with this Bestowal, such a favor, that he is called the Image of God, this is truly a great station. And this great station is not to be sacrificed for color’s sake. (published in Star of the West volume 3, No. 3, also printed in the June issue of The Crisis.)

Prayer: “O God, Guide Me” by Hayze & Family

 

Race Amity

  

 

References:

ohiobahai.org Centenary Year ~ Reflecting on the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Baha – soon this page will be moved to: ohiobahai.org/centenary2021

ohiobahai.org/oneness Unity/Oneness/Beauty of Diversity/ Writings of Baha’u’llah & ‘Abdu’l-Baha – Elimination of Racial Prejudice/ Statements of Shoghi Effendi, The Universal House of Justice & The National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States

ohiobahai.org/raceunity ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Call for Race Unity in America – 1912

ohiobahai.org/statements Baha’i Statements on Global Issues

ohiobahai.org/justice  Baha’i writings on Justice  – Justice/Turning Point for All Nations | Forging a Path To Racial Justice | Consultation: the Operating Expression of Justice in Human Affairs | Justice: as a Human Capacity, the Foundation of Civilization, Instruments of Justice

ohiobahai.org/emancipation Universal Emancipation Proclamation – Series by Christopher Buck – early Black Baha’i history

ohiobahai.org/alain-locke Articles written by Baha’i authors about Alain Leroy Locke