# Mysticism and the Baha'i Faith

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-21 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Farnaz Ma'sumian, Mysticism and the Baha'i Faith, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Mysticism and the Bahá'í Faith
> 
> Farnaz Ma'sumian
> 
> published in Deepen6:3, pp. 12-17
> 
> 1995 Spring
> 
> Introduction
> 
> Mysticism, viewed from a general perspective, is a reaction against the shallowness
> of a decadent civilization. It usually culminates when religion is at its lowest, and
> thus appears superior by comparison. People with an intense desire for spirituality,
> when civilization appears on the verge of collapse, are attracted toward a philosophy
> of escape and are repelled by the seeming flaws of the established religion.
> 
> Whereas prophetic religion affirms personality, mysticism denies it. The former
> believes in life, values history and tries to realize ideals and goals. The latter,
> however, escapes from the world, rejects the natural life and disregards history.
> 
> The notion of God in mysticism is radically different from that of the prophetic
> religion. To the mystic, the idea of God is solely based upon one's experience of
> ecstasy. He may be non-personal, beyond all values or a loving personal God; however,
> He always remains static and outside of history. The God of mysticism is not a
> revelation in history. He reveals Himself to every human being who is ready to
> apprehend Him.
> 
> The following paper is an attempt to explain some of the fundamental
> Bahá'í mystical notions. Furthermore, there will be a comparison of
> some mystical issues as viewed by a majority of mystics and as are stated in the
> Bahá'í Scriptures.
> 
> The Realm of the Divine Essence
> 
> The transcendental nature of the Divine Essence is greatly emphasized in the
> Bahá'í Writings. He is beyond man's comprehension and imaginative
> power. In other words, man can never hope to understand the Divine Essence through
> his intelligence nor through his feelings and inner experiences. In the following
> passage Bahá'u'lláh (the prophet- founder of the Bahá'í
> Faith) establishes the absolute transcendence of God :
> 
> The conceptions of the devoutest of mystics, the attainments of the most
> accomplished amongst men, the highest praise which the human tongue or pen can
> render are all the product of man's finite mind and are conditioned by its limitations.
> .....From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the ineffable sanctity of His exalted
> Self, and will everlastingly continue to be wrapped in the impenetrable mystery of
> His unknowable Essence...(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, 1973, p. 62).
> 
> The Bahá'í conception of God envisions a Being Who is independent of
> His creation yet is cognitive, caring and concerned for His creation and its progress.
> He created the world yet is completely separate from it, in the same manner that the
> painter is separate from his painting. In other words, He does not dwell in man. Man
> is not a portion of God nor can he ever hope to become united with His Essence.
> 
> Here lies one of the major differences between mysticism as viewed by most
> mystics and the Bahá'í Faith. The ultimate goal of the mystic is to
> attain the presence of the Absolute, and to become one with Him. This idea is well
> expressed in the words of the fourteenth century mystic Henry Suso:
> 
> He forgets himself, he is no longer conscious of his selfhood; he
> disappears and loses himself in God, and becomes one spirit with Him, as a drop of
> water which is drowned in a great quantity of wine. (Happold, 1990, p.
> 99).
> 
> The Bahá'í Faith emphatically rejects the idea that the finite man
> will ever be able to attain the presence of the Infinite or that a creature can merge
> with the Uncreated.
> 
> The Realm of the Prophets
> 
> For the mystic there are simply two planes of existence; the realm of God (the
> world of Divine Essence), and the realm of creation which includes man and the
> prophets. The Bahá'í Writings maintain that in addition to the two
> aforesaid realms, there is the world of the prophets which acts as a link between
> the world of God and the world of creation. In other words, God reveals Himself to
> man through His prophets. It is through Them that God's covenant with man is
> renewed in every dispensation (Schaefer, 1983).
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh said:
> 
> The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Beauty hath ever been, and
> will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of men. No man's understanding shall
> ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a
> proof of His loving- kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His
> divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of
> these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso
> recognizeth them hath recognized God....(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p. 49).
> 
> As perfect reflections of the qualities of the Creator, the prophets dramatize God's
> image through Their words and laws. Just as the unfiltered light of the sun dazzles
> the eye so much that it must turn away from it, man can not look directly into the
> light of God. In other words, God can only be comprehended when reflected in the
> mirror of the prophets.
> 
> In order to explain the relationship between the different Manifestations of God (a
> Bahá'í term for the prophets), and that of each prophet and God,
> Bahá'u'lláh offers an analogy. In this analogy, God is compared to the
> sun as He is the absolute source of spiritual life in the universe in the same manner
> that the material sun is the source of all physical life on earth. The Divine virtues
> are the rays of this sun and each Manifestation is like a perfect mirror.
> 
> If there are several mirrors and they are all turned toward the same sun, that sun is
> reflected in each mirror. However, the individual mirrors are different and each has
> its own form which is distinct from any other mirror. In the same manner, each
> Messenger is a distinct individual yet the Divine attributes which are reflected in
> each are the same. These Manifestations of God have a unique station, and no matter
> how far man may spiritually advance he can never reach the station of prophethood.
> In the Bahá'í Writings we read: "However far the disciples might
> progress, they can never become Christ." (Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered
> Questions, p. 271). It is not a difference in degree, but in kind (typology) which
> distinguishes Prophets from the rest of mankind. The Manifestations of God are not
> simply great philosophers, thinkers, or mystics with extensive spiritual knowledge.
> They are, by nature, a higher form of existence. They all represent the Perfect Man.
> Regular men can not claim the station of the Perfect Man.
> 
> The Bahá'í Faith distinguishes between inspiration and revelation.
> Revelation is believed to be the direct and infallible perception of God's creative
> Word which is solely accessible to the Manifestations who, in turn, transmit it to
> humanity. Inspiration, on the other hand, is the indirect and relative perception of
> spiritual truth that is available to everybody. The Hebrew prophets are believed to be
> ordinary men and women whose powers of inspiration have been developed and
> utilized by God. As for saints, reformers, philosophers, and founders of humanitarian
> movements, they are considered to be, in many cases, inspired by God. Nonetheless,
> revelation only belongs to the Manifestations. It is revelation which, in the final
> analysis, is the source of all human progress (Hatcher & Martin, 1984).
> 
> The Bahá'í Faith maintains that human beings have a dual nature: a
> physical body and an immortal soul. Nonetheless, the Manifestations of God, besides
> these two natures possess a third one that is unique to Their station. This third
> nature is the capacity to receive divine revelation and to infallibly transmit it to
> mankind:
> 
> Know that the Holy Manifestations, though they have the degree of
> endless perfections, yet, speaking generally, have only three stations. The first
> station is the physical: the second station is the human, which is that of the rational
> soul: the third is that of the divine appearance and the heavenly splendor.
> 
> The physical station is phenomenal: it is composed of elements, and necessarily
> everything that is composed is subject to decomposition. It is not possible that a
> composition should not be disintegrated.
> 
> The second is the station of the rational soul, which is the human reality. This also
> is phenomenal, and the Holy Manifestations share it with all mankind.....
> 
> The third station is that of the divine appearance and heavenly splendor; it is the
> Word of God, the Eternal Bounty, the Holy Spirit. It has neither beginning nor end, for
> these things are related to the world of contingencies and not to the divine world.
> For God the end is the same thing as the beginning...(Abdu'l- Bahá, Some
> Answered Questioned, pp. 151-152).
> 
> The third station of the Manifestations — the Holy Spirit — is reflected in all the
> founders of the great religions of the world. Through such founders as Krishna,
> Abraham, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad and Bahá'u'lláh,
> humanity achieves spiritual rebirth and the foundation of a new civilization is laid
> down. In the following passage the Bahá'í view of the function of the
> Holy Spirit on earth is clearly explained:
> 
> The Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and the Holy Spirit to the
> rays of the sun. As the rays of the sun bring the light and warmth of the sun to the
> earth, giving life to all created beings, so do the Manifestations (of God) bring the
> power of the Holy Spirit from the divine sun of Reality to give light and life to the
> souls of men.
> 
> Behold, there is an intermediary necessary between the sun and the earth; the sun
> does not descend to the earth, neither does the earth ascend to the sun. This contact
> is made by the rays of the sun which bring light and warmth and heat.
> 
> The Holy Spirit is the light from the Sun of Truth, bringing by its infinite power life
> and illumination to all mankind, flooding all souls with divine Radiance, conveying
> the blessings of God' s Mercy to the whole world. The earth, without the medium of
> the warmth and light of the rays of the sun, could receive no benefits from the
> sun.
> 
> Likewise, the Holy Spirit is the very cause of the life of man; without the Holy
> Spirit he would have no intellect; he would be unable to acquire his scientific
> knowledge by which his great influence over the rest of the creation is gained. The
> illumination of the Holy Spirit gives to man the power of thought, and enables him to
> make discoveries by which he bends the laws of nature to his will ( Abdu'l-
> Bahá, Paris Talks, pp. 58-59).
> 
> It is The Holy Spirit that, through the mediation of the Prophets of God, teaches
> spiritual virtues to man and enables him to attain eternal life. All these blessings
> are brought to man by the Holy Spirit; therefore we can understand that the Holy
> Spirit is the intermediary between the Creator and the created. The light and heat of
> the sun cause the earth to be fruitful, and create life in all things that grow, and the
> Holy Spirit quickens the souls of men.
> 
> The Realm of Creation
> 
> The Bahá'í Faith views the physical universe, including man, as a
> creation of God and not a manifestation of the Divine Essence. This
> Bahá'í belief is rejected by most mystics who put the world of
> creation in the same category as the world of the prophets. According to
> Bahá'u'lláh, the world of creation has always existed. The planet earth
> had a beginning and it will have an end. However, the universe is without a beginning
> and an end:
> 
> Therefore, as the Essence of Unity (that is the existence of God) is
> everlasting and eternal — that is to say, it has neither beginning nor end — it is certain
> that this world of existence, this endless universe, has neither beginning nor end.
> Yes, it may be that one of the parts of the universe, one of the globes, for example,
> may come into existence or may be disintegrated, but the other endless globes are
> still existing; the universe would not be disordered nor destroyed (Abdu'l-
> Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 180).
> 
> As for the human species on earth, the Bahá'ís uphold that man has
> always existed somewhere in the universe. He has gradually evolved, passing from
> lower to higher forms until it attained the present mature human form. The evolution
> of man on earth has been likened to the development of an embryo within a womb
> which, at first, appears to be a tadpole but later assumes various other forms of
> life. However, although the human species may have once resembled other species,
> man has always been a distinct creation of God — In fact the only creation of God
> capable of knowing and worshipping Him:
> 
> ...the embryo passes through different states and traverses numerous
> degrees... until the signs of reason and maturity appear. And in the same way, man's
> existence on this earth, from the beginning until it reaches this state, form and
> condition, necessarily lasts a long time, and goes through many degrees...
> 
> But from the beginning of man's existence he is a distinct species. In the same way,
> the embryo of man in the womb of the mother was at first in a strange form; then
> this body passes from shape to shape, from state to state, from form to form, until
> it appears in utmost beauty and perfection. But even when in the womb of the mother
> and in this strange form, entirely different from his present form and figure, he is
> the embryo of the superior species, and not of the animal; his species and essence
> undergo no change (Some Answered Questions, 183-4).
> 
> Thus, even though man has evolved from a lower form or shape but, from the
> beginning he was potentially a human being not an animal. He has always been
> endowed with the unique gifts of mind and soul which make him the highest creation
> of God on earth.
> 
> Man's Soul
> 
> The Bahá'í Faith, like most other world religions, teaches the
> doctrine of the immortality of the human soul. Nonetheless, the belief in the pre-
> existence of man's soul, upheld by the majority of the mystics is repudiated in the
> Bahá'í writings. A large number of mystics maintain that, prior to its
> association with the body on earth, man's soul exists with God in an undifferentiated
> form. Such belief would, of course, be tantamount to man sharing in the Divine
> Essence , an idea which would negate God's Singleness and Uniqueness. Hence,
> Bahá'u'lláh taught that man's soul comes into being at the moment of
> conception and continues to exist after the death of the body.
> 
> Man's soul is the seat of his self, personality, and consciousness. The development
> of the soul and its capacities are the prime purpose of man's earthly existence. This
> development is possible only through the knowledge and love of God and reflection of
> divine virtues which are latent in man's soul. Bahá'u'lláh explained
> that the evolution of man's soul is always toward God and away from the physical
> world. However, contrary to the common mystical view, man can never become one
> and united with the Essence of the Absolute.
> 
> Bahá'í writings consider physical existence as the embryonic
> preparation for an eternal and spiritual life that follows the death of the body. A
> human being spends nine months in the womb preparing for entry into the physical
> world. During this period, the fetus develops eyes, ears, limbs and other physical
> means necessary for its life on earth. In the same manner, this terrestrial world is
> similar to a womb for entry into the spiritual worlds. Here each individual has the
> opportunity to acquire the spiritual as well as the intellectual tools necessary for
> its spiritual existence in the worlds to come. The main difference, nonetheless, is
> that whereas physical evolution in the mother's womb is involuntary, the
> intellectual and spiritual growth of man here on earth depends only upon conscious
> individual effort (Hatcher & Martin).
> 
> Know thou that all men have been created in the nature made by God, the Guardian,
> the Self-Subsisting. Unto each one hath been prescribed a pre- ordained measure, as
> decreed in God's mighty and guarded Tablets. All that which ye potentially possess
> can, however, be manifested only as a result of your own volition
> (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p. 149).
> 
> The Role of Prayer and Meditation
> 
> The Bahá'í Faith, like most world religions, is essentially mystic in
> character. Bahá'ís believe that without mystical feeling which draws
> man close to God, any religion will degenerate into an organization devoid of
> spiritual life. As it is through prayer and meditation that the individual is able to
> build and maintain a spiritual relationship with his Creator.
> 
> The most effective prayer, however, are the ones that have been revealed by the
> Manifestations of God. In the Prayers and Meditations by Bahá'u'lláh we read:
> 
> I render Thee thanks, O Thou Who hast lighted Thy fire within my soul, and cast the
> beams of Thy light into my heart, that Thou hast taught Thy servants how to make
> mention of Thee, and revealed unto them the ways
> whereby they can supplicate Thee, through Thy most holy and exalted tongue, and
> Thy most august and precious speech (Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, p.
> 320).
> 
> Furthermore, meditation is strongly advised in the Bahá'í Writings. Nonetheless,
> there are no set forms of meditation. In fact, the manner of meditation is left
> entirely to the individual. The significance of meditation is emphasized in the
> following passage:
> 
> Through the faculty of meditation man attains to eternal life; through it
> he receives the breath of the Holy Spirit — the bestowal of the Spirit is given in
> reflection and meditation. The spirit of man is itself informed and strengthened
> during meditation; through it affairs of which man knew nothing are unfolded before
> his view. Through it he receives Divine inspiration, through it he receives heavenly
> food... (Abdu'l- Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 175).
> 
> Further, the Bahá'í scriptures maintain that although an individual
> may make considerable spiritual progress by meditating upon the rather nebulous All
> or One, the most effective results are obtained when the mirror of the spirit is
> turned toward the manifestation of God. He is believed to be the source of man's
> spiritual life on earth. Therefore, if one meditates upon the prophets' creative Word
> or their Divine attributes, his progress would be much swifter than if he meditates
> on the elusive Infinite. In addition to a large corpus of prayers,
> Bahá'u'lláh has revealed many meditations in which He praises God,
> proclaims his devotion to the Divine Will, and prays for steadfastness of himself and
> his followers:
> 
> The power of Thy might beareth me witness. O my Well-Beloved! Every
> limb of my body, methinks, is endowed with a tongue that glorifieth Thee and
> magnifieth Thy name. Armed with the power of Thy love, the hatred which moveth
> them that are against Thee can never alarm me; and with Thy praise on my lips, the
> rulings of Thy decree can in no wise fill me with sorrow. Fortify, therefore, Thy love
> within my breast, and suffer me to face the assaults which all the peoples of the
> earth may launch against me. I swear by Thee! Every hair of my head proclaimeth:
> "But for the adversities that befall me in Thy path, how could I ever taste the divine
> sweetness of Thy tenderness and love?"
> 
> Send down, therefore, O my Lord, upon me and upon them that love me, that which
> will cause us to become steadfast in Thy Faith. Enable them, then, to become the
> Hands of Thy Cause amongst Thy servants, that they may scatter abroad Thy signs,
> and show forth Thy sovereignty. There is no God but Thee, Who art powerful to do
> whatsoever Thou willest. Thou art, in truth, the All Glorious, the All-
> Praised(Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations, 214-215).
> 
> The Path to God
> 
> Although there is no consensus among the mystics in regards to the nature and
> number of various stages in the path to God, most agree on the four stages of
> conversion, purgation, illumination, and union.
> 
> Conversion
> 
> To many, a mystic must undergo some type of experience which would lead to an
> expansion of normal consciousness and perception. In other words, he must
> experience some kind of conversion. The term conversion, here is defined as the
> awakening of a reality that exists within an individual human being of which he is
> not fully cognizant. Such an experience may be either gradual and imperceptible or
> sudden and violent. The classic example of sudden conversion is that of St. Paul on
> the road to Damascus.
> 
> According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul, a former fanatical Jew who was
> dedicated to the persecution of the Christians, was on his way to Damascus to bring
> them in chains to Jerusalem. As he was approaching Damascus, a sudden light flashed
> around him from the sky, and he fell to the ground. Then he heard a voice calling him,
> Saul (Paul) , Saul! Why do you persecute me? Blinded by the light, he went to
> Damascus where later on he declared his faith in Christ (Happold, 1970). To the
> Bahá'ís, true conversion or spiritual rebirth takes place when the individual realizes
> the Messenger of God as the source of his spiritual life and the creator of moral and
> ethical values. This kind of spiritual conversion is not based on any psychic
> experience. It involves both the mind and the heart.
> 
> Purgation
> 
> When the mystic is awakened to this higher self, he realizes his limitations and the
> obstacles that prevent his spiritual growth. He then resolves himself through
> detachment or poverty. In extreme mysticism, the result is that the mystic becomes
> an important part of the whole who is completely devoid of all desires and rights.
> 
> The stage of purgation has two major objectives. First, it involves complete
> detachment from and renunciation of the things of senses, so that the divine life may
> be born in one's soul and thus union with God is attained. Second, it entails a
> continuous cleansing of the perceptions and the soul so that the light of a new
> reality may fully illuminate and transform the soul.
> 
> There is always a constant reiteration of the necessity of renunciation, detachment,
> and self-mortification in the writings of the great mystics. In the well-known
> Conference of the Birds ,the Sufi mystic Farid al-din Attar writes:
> 
> The only provisions for the journey in the Path of Truth are total
> renunciation and self-annihilation. Consume to ashes whasoever thou hast....I can
> think of no better fortune for a valiant man than this, that he loses himself from
> himself (Happold, 1970, p. 58).
> 
> The famous Christian mystic, John of the Cross maintains that those who seek
> complete detachment must renounce all the pleasures of the senses, to choose not
> that which is easiest, but that which is most difficult. He sums up his views in a
> series of epigrams:
> 
> In order to arrive at having pleasure in everything,
> 
> Desire to have pleasure in nothing.
> 
> In order to arrive at possessing everything,
> 
> Desire to possess nothing.
> 
> In order to arrive at being everything,
> 
> Desire to be nothing.
> 
> In order to arrive at knowing everything,
> 
> Desire to know nothing.
> for
> When the mind dwells upon anything,
> 
> Thou art ceasing to cast thyself upon the All.
> 
> For, in order to pass from the all to the All
> 
> Thou hast to deny thyself wholly in all ( Happold,1970, p. 59).
> 
> In the Bahá'í Faith, however, the ultimate goal of man's spiritual
> growth is not to eradicate all aspirations but to make one's desires conform with the
> teachings of the prophets. There must be a balance between one's inner and outer
> lives. The Bahá'ís do not see any harm in things of the world as long
> as they do not allow possessions or desires to come between them and their
> Creator:
> 
> Should a man wish to adorn himself with the ornaments of the earth, to wear its
> apparels, or partake of the benefits it can bestow, no harm can befall him if he
> alloweth nothing whatever to intervene between him and God, for God hath ordained
> every good thing, whether created in the heavens or in the earth, for such of His
> servants as truly believe in Him (Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings, p. 276).
> 
> Illumination
> 
> Through the process of purgation one's spiritual reality becomes free from the self,
> and thus ready to enter the stage of illumination. In this condition, the mystic's
> intuitive powers are heightened. His power of perception is greatly enhanced and his
> energy is vastly increased. He is more capable of understanding and dealing with the
> accidents of life. It is in this stage that the mystic, having only experienced
> ecstasy\ rapture, claims to have come in direct contact with the Infinite.
> 
> This rapturous awareness of the Divine is often called “the practice of the Presence
> of God”. When, however, the mystics are asked to describe such an experience, a
> majority of them take refuge in ineffability, that is, it defies expression in terms
> which are fully intelligible to one who is devoid of such an experience.
> 
> To the Bahá'ís, the process of illumination itself is not peculiar to mysticism. They
> maintain that there is always a spiritual joy and calmness which comes to those
> who having lived by the precepts of the Manifestations of God, are influenced by the
> power of the Holy Spirit. Such an experience is accessible to everyone who whole-
> heartedly follows the Prophets, abides by Their ordinances and endeavors to
> manifest Their virtues (Shook, 1974).
> 
> Union
> 
> A majority of mystics distinguish between illumination and union. In the stage of
> illumination the individuality and personality appear to remain intact, whereas in
> the condition of union this is not the case. In the process of illumination the seeker
> is still to some degree a stranger. But in the state of union, to which only a few
> claim to have attained, the wayfarer is no longer a stranger. Here, he is a traveler
> who has returned to his home.
> 
> As the waves of the sea ultimately return to it, so the seeker is believed to return to
> the Absolute and become reunited with Him. This is the stage of union which
> basically implies some type of deification of humans. This idea is clearly expressed
> in the following passage from a well-known Hindu scripture called the Upanishads:
> 
> As the flowing rivers in the ocean
> 
> Disappear, quitting name and form,
> 
> So the knower, being liberated from name and form,
> 
> Goes into the heavenly Person, higher than the high
> 
> (Noss & Noss, 1994, p. 120).
> 
> This idea is in sharp contrast to the Bahá'í belief which defines true union with the
> Divine as absolute obedience to God's ordinances as revealed by His prophets. It is
> through Them that the Will of God is revealed to man. Bahá'u'lláh notes:
> 
> By self-surrender and perpetual union with God is meant that men should merge
> their will wholly in the Will of God, and regard their desires as utter nothingness
> beside His Purpose. Whatsoever the Creator commandeth His creatures to observe,
> the same must they diligently, and with the utmost joy and eagerness, arise and
> fulfill. They should in no wise allow their fancy to obscure their judgment, neither
> should they regard their own imaginings as the voice of the Eternal (Gleanings,
> P.337)
> 
> It is through the Manifestations of God that the Divine Will is revealed to humanity.
> In the Valley of Unity (the fourth stage in His Seven Valleys ) Bahá'u'lláh clearly
> distinguishes between His concept of Unity and that of the mystic's. There He sets
> forth three fundamental principles to which the mystic could never subscribe:
> 
> 1) Man is not an incarnation of God.
> 
> 2) Man can never know the Essence of God.
> 
> 3) Man's knowledge of God comes through the Manifestations of God (Shook,
> 1974).
> 
> Conclusion
> 
> Even though the Bahá'ís acknowledge the positive contributions of the
> mystics of past and present and appreciate their endeavors along the path of
> spirituality, they disagree with them on such doctrines as reincarnation, pre-
> existence of man's soul, and union of the mystic's soul with the Absolute. They also
> reject the notion that divine revelation can come to humanity through the
> mystic.
> 
> Bahá'ís maintain that, in mysticism, little consideration is given to the social order
> since mysticism is regarded as an esoteric system appropriate for a few gifted
> individuals. The mystic is not capable of transmitting to others that which he
> experiences. When faced with the question concerning the nature of such an
> experience, his response is that you must also tread the mystical path as such a
> condition is ineffable. But, in reality, this is only feasible for a few gifted
> individuals.
> 
> When, however, a seeker turns to the Manifestation or to the Divine Word, he does not
> leave empty-handed. The early history of Christianity and Islam, for instance,
> indicate quite clearly that the Prophets of these religions had something to give to
> every class of society.
> 
> Furthermore, mysticism is not concerned with improving man's social life as
> civilization building and material progress is not a priority in the mystic's agenda. In
> other words, it is true that by turning inward a few gifted individuals have
> succeeded in improving their personal behavior; but it is equally true that mysticism
> offers no solution for the baffling social problems. For instance, the possibilities of
> any type of religious unity through mysticism are quite inconceivable. How can
> mysticism with its personal authority eliminate national, political or religious
> prejudice when it is devoid of a central figure to whom all classes of people may
> turn?
> 
> REFERENCES
> 
> Abdu'l-Bahá. (1930). Some Answered Questions. (Barney, L. , Trans.).
> Wilmette, Illinois: Bahá'í Publishing Trust.
> 
> Abdu'l-Bahá. (1912). Paris Talks. London: Bahá'í Publishing
> Trust.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh. (1973). Gleanings from the Writings of
> Bahá'u'lláh. (Effendi, Sh., Trans.). New Delhi: Bahá'í
> Publishing Trust.
> 
> Bahá'u'lláh. (1938). Prayers and Meditations By
> Bahá'u'lláh. Wilmette, Illinois: Bahá'í Publishing Trust.
> 
> Happold, F. (1990). Mysticism : A study and an anthology. England: Penguin Books.
> 
> Hatcher, J. (1987). The Purpose of Physical Reality: The Kingdom of Names. Wilmette,
> Illinois: Bahá'í Publishing Trust.
> 
> Hatcher, W. , & Martin, D. (1984). The Bahá'í Faith: The Emerging Global
> Religion. San Francisco: Harper and Row.
> 
> Noss, D., & Noss, J. (1994). A History of The World Religions. New York: MacMillan
> College Publishing Company.
> 
> Schaefer, U. (1983). The Imperishable Dominion. Oxford: George Ronald.
> 
> Shook, G. (1974). Mysticism, Science & Revelation. Great Britain: Lowe & Brydone.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views23513 views since posted 1998; last edit 2015-03-28 18:35 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../masumian_mysticism_bahai;
> URLs changed in 2010, see archive.org.../bahai-library.org
> Language
> English
> Permission
> author
> Share
> 
> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/95
> Citation: ris/95
> 
> 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
>
> — *Mysticism and the Baha'i Faith (Used by permission of the curator)*