# Lessons on Detachment in the Tablet to Pope Pius IX

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-18 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Cynthia C. Shawamreh, Lessons on Detachment in the Tablet to Pope Pius IX, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Lessons on Detachment in the Tablet to Pope Pius IX
> 
> Cynthia C. Shawamreh
> 
> 1998-11
> 
> I. Question Presented.
> 
> What lessons of detachment for individual Bahá'ís are contained
> within the majestic summons proclaimed by Bahá'u'lláh in the
> Tablet to Pope Pius IX?
> 
> II. Thesis Statement.
> 
> Stunning lessons for detachment abound within the Words of
> Bahá'u'lláh in the Tablet to Pope Pius IX. This Tablet is rich
> with meaning and wisdom applicable to the lives of individual
> Bahá'ís. As Bahá'u'lláh commands the Pope to "rend
> the veils asunder," He also offers us individually an opportunity to glimpse
> more deeply the many levels and meanings of detachment.
> Bahá'u'lláh's Words to the Pope serve as a clear warning and the
> Pope's subsequent history serves as a chilling example of the imperative
> necessity of cultivating the art of detachment in our lives.
> 
> III. Body.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet to Pope Pius IX, Revealed in Arabic in the
> city of 'Akká circa 1869, proclaims unequivocally His station as the
> promised return of Christ, and summons the Pope to arise and serve His Cause.
> Bahá'u'lláh warns the Pope to "beware that thou dispute not with
> Him even as the Pharisees disputed with Him (Jesus) without a clear token or
> proof . . . ," calling to mind the historical example of the rejection of Jesus
> by the religious establishment of the time. Bahá'u'lláh vividly
> establishes the contrast between temporal sovereignty and true spiritual
> sovereignty with the Words:
> 
> "Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation liveth in
> the most desolate of abodes? Leave them unto such as desire them, and set thy
> face with joy and delight towards the Kingdom . . . "
> 
> The emptiness of the Pope's lifestyle in palaces, surrounded by pomp and luxury
> is again invoked, and the Pope is called upon to exhibit uncompromising
> detachment in the lines:
> 
> "Sell all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and expend them in the
> path of God . . . Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and emerge from thy
> habitation, with thy face set towards the Kingdom, and, detached from the
> world, then speak forth the praises of thy Lord betwixt earth and
> heaven."
> 
> The sad consequences of the Pope's rejection of Bahá'u'lláh's
> Message sends us all a powerful example of the failure to detach ourselves from
> the material world. The historical image of the Pope portrayed by the Guardian
> of a man, humiliated, routed by his enemies, forced to his knees in the Scala
> Santa, utterly divested of his temporal sovereignty, and left bewildered,
> powerless and unaware of the true cause of his predicament, is both moving and
> chilling in its ramifications. Through the passage of time, the inevitably
> fleeting nature of temporal power is dramatically exposed in the Pope's
> crushingly bitter end. What, then, is it which has prevented the Pope from
> responding to Bahá'u'lláh's summons, and how can we learn from
> his example?
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh writes:
> 
> "Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spirit (Jesus) Who, when He came,
> the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His own country
> whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take heed, then, ye men of
> understanding heart!"
> 
> Although the Tablet is directed to the Pope individually, the warning above is
> addressed in the collective. Bahá'u'lláh warns us all to beware
> of the danger of arrogance which learning and power can bring. Cultivating
> detachment from worldly things such as our reputations, our learning or our
> status in the world is our only hope for obtaining true knowledge. The Pope,
> despite Bahá'u'lláh's clear Message and the clear example of the
> historical treatment of Jesus by the learned of His age, chose to ignore His
> Summons. Given the repeated warnings by Bahá'u'lláh not to allow
> temporal power to veil the Pope from God, one can conclude that it is precisely
> that attachment to temporal power which is the root cause of his rejection of
> Bahá'u'lláh's Message. To have accepted, or even truly
> investigated Bahá'u'lláh's Claims, would have threatened the
> Pope's outer glory, his reputation among his peers and his temporal
> sovereignty. The historical outcome of the Pope's decision dramatically
> underscores the fleeting nature of those things for which he lost that
> priceless opportunity.
> 
> Individual Bahá'ís might be tempted to dismiss the lesson
> provided by the Pope, since we claim to have recognized the Station of
> Bahá'u'lláh. However, the lessons of detachment in the Tablet to
> Pope Pius IX are multi-layered. Becoming detached is a process, a goal towards
> which we strive all our lives. How often is our ability to serve the Faith
> hampered by attachment to the very same obstacles as that which deterred the
> Pope? The cancer of materialism in the national life of the United States
> surely afflicts the American Bahá'í community as well. We are
> constantly struggling to shake off the bondage of apathy, materialism, and
> comfort with our lives and our reputations as they currently stand in order to
> arise to serve the Faith. Bahá'u'lláh's Command to the Pope is
> threefold: (1) recognize His Station as the Promised Manifestation of God; (2)
> detach himself from worldly effects and concerns; and (3) arise to serve the
> Cause of God. It would appear from this breakdown, then, that one of the
> primary barriers to our ability to truly arise in the service of the Faith is
> our reluctance to relinquish our attachment to the world. Our comfort, our
> homes, our jobs, our time, our reputation and prestige both internal and
> external to the Bahá'í community often seem to matter to us more
> than that which lasts, paralyzing us from bold and daring action in service to
> the Faith. In this way, the Pope's example can serve to help us to shake off
> our sloth and worldly attachments, and remember the fleeting nature of the
> earthly days in which we are living.
> 
> IV. Conclusion.
> 
> In conclusion, the Tablet to Pope Pius IX is a majestic summons from
> Bahá'u'lláh to the head of Christendom to embrace the Cause of
> God. The failure of the Pope to respond to this Command is a significant event
> in Bahá'í history with dramatic results for the Pope individually
> as well as for the state of the Papacy as an institution. In addition, the
> lessons of this event can be applied to our own lives as individuals to draw
> out deeper levels of detachment and service. The example of the Pope's
> downfall underscores the fleeting nature of temporal attachments.
> Bahá'u'lláh's words to the Pope chillingly evoke the nature and
> effect of time, which is in the Hands of God alone, "Who causeth the night to
> return upon the day, and the day to return upon the night." This Tablet is a
> beacon of light summoning us all to prioritize our lives according to that
> which is eternal and will last beyond the short span of our own lives on this
> earth.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views12741 views since posted 1998-11; last edit 2012;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../shawamreh_detachment_tablet_pope;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
> Language
> English
> Permission
> author
> Share
> 
> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/1140
> Citation: ris/1140
> 
> select Collection:
> Archives
> Articles
> Articles-unpublished
> Audio
> Bibliographies
> BIC
> Biographies
> Books
> Chronologies
> Compilations
> Compilations-NSA
> Compilations-personal
> Documents
> East-asia
> Encyclopedia
> Essays
> Etc
> Excerpts
> Fiction
> Glossaries
> Guardian
> Histories
> Introductory
> Letters
> Maps
> Music
> Newspapers
> NSA-documents
> NSA-letters
> Personal
> Pilgrims
> Poetry
> Presentations
> Resources
> Reviews
> Scripts
> Software
> Statistics
> Study
> Talks
> Theses
> Transcripts
> Translations
> UHJ-documents
> UHJ-letters
> Video
> Visual
> Writings
> 
> home
> 
> sitemap
> 
> series
> 
> chronology
> 
> search:
> author
> 
> title
> 
> date
> 
> tags
> 
> adv. search
> languages
> 
> inventory
> 
> bibliography
> 
> abbreviations
> 
> links
> 
> about
> 
> contact
> 
> RSS
> 
> new
>
> — *Lessons on Detachment in the Tablet to Pope Pius IX (Used by permission of the curator)*