# Divine Education: The Root of Knowledge

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-20 — 1 clipping.*

---

> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Abu'l-Qásim Faizí, Divine Education: The Root of Knowledge, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> Divine Education:
> 
> The Root of Knowledge
> 
> Abu'l-Qásim Faizí
> 
> R. Behi, editor
> 
> published in Glory: A Bahá'í Youth Magazine5:2
> 
> Poona, India: National Bahá'í Youth Committee of India, 1973-04
> 
> Conqueror of Hearts table of contents
> 
> The Journey of Truth Seeking
> 
> Of all the basic principles of Bahá'u'lláh for the safeguarding
> of the world order and unity of mankind, this principle of independent
> investigation of truth is one of the few which is directed solely to the
> individual, while the others are basically collective and primarily involve a
> social change. For example, individuals are not responsible to adopt the
> international language or to formulate a universal system of education, but
> they do have to investigate the truth and to conduct the investigation
> independently of others. It is equally significant for us to realize that this
> principle is a two-edged sword; one edge separate falsehood from the truth, the
> other protects the individual believer against his own ego when confronted with
> divine tests.
> 
> This principle does not only apply to man's spiritual life, but it is
> important to know that it is equally applicable to whatever he desires to do.
> He goes through this process of investigation in all his major and minor
> actions. It is indeed inevitable and one of the most fundamental prerogatives
> of every individual.
> 
> The question is whether the attitude of Bahá'í parents toward
> their children should be to bring them up as Bahá'ís or to leave
> them to themselves, on the very wrong assumption and slender hope that the
> children would find the Faith by themselves.
> 
> The latter is a misinterpretation of Divine Utterances and one of the
> greatest factors that contribute to the decrease in numbers, the spiritual
> destruction of Bahá'í families, and the lack of progress in the
> work of the Faith in many lands.
> 
> It is indeed unfortunate that some newly-enrolled believers, due to their lack
> of knowledge about our all-comprehensive Faith, and in their desire to tread
> the path of least resistance and to silence the voice of their conscience,
> misconstrue the very fundamental principle of man's eternal life. Thus the
> gift of God entrusted to us to be used as a torch which casts its rays through
> the obscure paths of life is changed into a fire which consumes every fiber of
> our spiritual entity and allows nothing to survive, except the skeleton of our
> physical creation, destined to be transformed into dust.
> 
> I found to my utter grief that some Bahá'í families, though
> themselves active members of different Bahá'í communities, due to
> their grave misunderstanding of this fundamental principle, have not uttered
> even a word to their children about our eternal legacy--the glorious Faith.
> Unmindful of the consequences of this ignorance in all the hearts and minds of
> their dear ones, they act as if they belong to a secret society. There is not
> a single token of the Faith in their well-furnished houses. I even found some
> of them ashamed to mention their religious affiliation. Thus the Faith remains
> unknown to their children who, I am sure, will disperse from their homes never
> gazing at the immense horizon floodlit with the rising Sun of Truth.
> 
> When asked, the parents have invariably answered: "We want them to find it by
> themselves and investigate it independently."
> 
> Such answers brought so much sorrow to my heart that I could not find adequate
> words and expressions to pour out my feelings.
> 
> "To find it by themselves." What a false dictum. How will they find it?
> Through whom and from where, if not in their own homes, from their own parents'
> loving and vigilant directions? If we do not pity our children and throw them
> to the devouring waves of this turbulent ocean called "society," how do we
> expect others to pity them, hold their hands, save them and set them on the
> shores of safety and security?
> 
> If this is what we mean by "independent investigation," why do we then exert
> our utmost to arrange schools for them, register their names well ahead of
> time, even many years in advance for attendance universities? Why do we keep
> on urging them to attend all the classes at every period, encourage them to do
> better work and take pride in their daily advancement in what is called arts
> and sciences? Why do we not leave them free to find their own way to
> educational institutions and abandon them to their own choice, never asking
> them whether they spent their days in schools, or in bars and gambling
> houses?
> 
> For material education we surely urge our children to go into special
> training, require discipline, and we are vigilant to see that they will never
> lose any opportunity. But alas! In this, the most vital matter, which is like
> unto sunshine in all the aspects of the lives of our dear ones, and which
> insures their eternal happiness, we remain heedless, nonchalant and
> carefree.
> 
> Should our intention be limited to raising ourselves from the distress of
> unbelief, doubt and scepticism to the condition of recognition, faith and
> certitude in the truth of the Mission of Bahá'u'lláh, when do
> reach this ultimate goal and recognize Him s the Divine Educator, then our
> journey ends. It means that thereafter every act of Bahá'u'lláh
> and every utterance revealed by Him will have to be accepted as the
> manifestation of truth; and the spirit of investigation will help the traveler
> who has embarked on this journey to discard the impurities of falsehood from
> the gems of truth and advance on this path until every member of his physical
> temple and even every hair will find tongues to proclaim the light of the
> faith ignited in his heart and soul.
> 
> But the journey is not ended. Having reached the station of faith, the
> traveler is at the shore of an endless and fathomless ocean of divine
> utterances. He has to plunge into it, not to examine the truth of every word,
> principle or precept. Nay, on the contrary, with a heart full of certitude and
> an attitude of utter humility and supplication the believer will meditate and
> pray and then seek to discover pearls of wisdom and will behold beauty and
> innumerable mysteries enshrined in every word.
> 
> The Object of all Knowledge
> 
> Before turning to the main subject of this letter, let us refer to the
> following two extracts from the immortal Narrative of Nabíl to refresh
> our memory of the glorious deeds of the heroes and saints of our beloved Cause.
> These illustrate the two aspects of the problem at hand will, I feel sure, shed
> much light on our research.
> 
> "As soon as the Call from Shíráz reached his ears, Hujjat
> deputed of his disciples, Mullá Iskandar, in whom he reposed the fullest
> confidence, to enquire into the whole matter and to report to him the result of
> his investigations. Utterly indifferent to the praise and censure of his
> countrymen, whose integrity he suspected and whose judgment he disdained, he
> sent his delegate to Shíráz with explicit instructions to
> conduct a minute and independent enquiry. Mullá Iskandar attained the
> presence of the Báb and felt immediately the regenerating power of His
> influence. He tarried forty days in Shíráz, during which
> time he imbibed the principles of the Faith and acquired, according to his
> capacity, a knowledge of the measure of its glory.
> 
> "With the approval of the Báb he returned to Zanján. He arrived
> at a time when all the leading `ulamás of the city had assembled in the
> presence of Hujjat. As soon as he appeared, Hujjat enquired whether he
> believes in, or rejected, the new Revelation. Mullá Iskandar submitted
> the writings of the Báb which he had brought with him, and asserted that
> he whatever should be the verdict of his master, the same would he deem it his
> obligation to follow. `What!' angrily exclaimed Hujjat. `But for the presence
> of this distinguished company, I would have chastised you severely. How dare
> you consider matters of belief to be dependant upon the approbation or
> rejection of others?' Receiving from the hand of his messenger the copy of the
> Qayyúmu'l-Asmá', he, as soon as he had perused a page of that
> book, fell prostrate upon the ground and exclaimed: `I bear witness that these
> words which I have read proceed from the same Source as that of the
> Qur'án. Whoso has recognized the truth of that sacred Book must needs
> testify to the Divine origin of these words, and must needs submit to the
> precepts inculcated by their Author. I take you, members of this assembly, as
> my witnesses: I pledge such allegiance to the Author of this Revelation that
> should He ever pronounce the night to be the day, and declare the sun to be a
> shadow, I would unreservedly submit to His judgment, and would regard His
> verdict as the voice of Truth. Whose denies Him, him will I regard as the
> repudiator of God Himself.' With these words he terminated the proceedings of
> that gathering." (The Dawn-Breakers, Nabíl's Narrative, pp.
> 178-179 (Bahá'í Publishing Committee, New York, 1932, 1953
> edition.)
> 
> "It was in those days that his special envoy, Mashhadí Ahmad,
> whom he had confidentially despatched to Shíráz with a
> petition and gifts from him to the Báb, arrived at Zanján and
> delivered into his hands, while he was addressing his disciples, a sealed
> letter from his Beloved. In the Tablet he received, the Báb conferred
> upon him one of His own titles, that of Hujjat, and urged him to proclaim from
> the pulpit, without the least reservation, the fundamental teachings of His
> Faith. No sooner was he informed of the wishes of his Master than he declared
> his resolve to devote himself to the immediate enforcement of whatever
> injunction that Tablet contained. He immediately dismissed his disciples, bade
> them close their books, and declared his intention of discontinuing his courses
> of study. `Of what profit,' he said, `are study and research to those who have
> already found the Truth, and why strive after learning when He who is the
> Object of all knowledge is made manifest?'" (The Dawn-Breakers, pp.
> 532-533)
> 
> Every human temple, regardless of race, color, country or clime, is considered
> by Bahá'u'lláh as a mine in which God has, through His
> inscrutable wisdom and boundless love, deposited gems which are to be
> discovered, polished and cultured through the process of proper, divine,
> all-embracing education. These gems are the latent powers and talents with
> which every individual is endowed. When these powers and talents are
> discovered and correctly trained, the world of humanity will become the mirror
> of Heaven in which all divine perfections are gloriously reflected.
> 
> Divine Education--The Root of Knowledge
> 
> The vast subject of Bahá'í education has many ramifications
> stretching over all aspects of man's life, and our Bahá'í
> literature is replete with elucidations which reveal to our eyes the most
> obscure corners of the human soul. How lamentable that mankind stubbornly
> abandons these abundant divine bounties and chooses the path of disgrace and
> perdition!
> 
> It is still more lamentable if those who believe in the Supreme Manifestation
> of God deprive themselves of following His loving advice. Until such time as
> we will have authorized classifications and translations of the holy texts, I
> shall limit myself in this letter to the references on parents' obligations
> toward their children.
> 
> We must first know that there is a vast difference between education, in the
> sense of character training, and instruction. The beloved Master has
> emphasized that education must always have priority over mere accumulation of
> knowledge. To know many facts, to memorize numerous formulae and to repeat
> parrot-like theories of science is not honor for man. True honor lies in man's
> education and moral conduct which enable him to be the mirror of divine
> perfections and shine like unto a guiding star, ready to die rather than to
> apply his knowledge for the destruction of mankind.
> 
> It is toward this ultimate goal that we are encouraged to advance. Divine
> education is considered by Bahá'u'lláh to rank as "the most
> exalted" amongst His commandments and is a "great protection" for the Cause of
> God. Educational institutions must first instill divine laws and precepts in
> the hearts and minds of children. Thus the children grow up to worship God and
> to love one another as His sons and daughters. Immediately after giving us
> this commandment, Bahá'u'lláh warns us against excess of any
> system which, individually or collectively, inculcates prejudice and
> intolerance in the innocent hearts of our children.
> 
> Parental Responsibility
> 
> Let us take a lesson from nature. When a mother conceives, nature creates a
> certain condition in her physical temple which forms the growing fetus. In
> that proper atmosphere the physical growth of the child starts. The parents,
> though intensely eager to behold the face of their little ones, never force its
> birth. On the contrary, they patiently await the approach of the hour
> appointed by providence and keep every other thing in perfect harmony with the
> natural process. When that blessed moment comes through the operation of
> natural forces, the children are born into this immense world.
> 
> Now let us apply the same rule to the second home of the child into which it
> is introduced through its physical birth.
> 
> By divine education at home we mean the creation of an atmosphere in which the
> child can breathe the spiritual powers of this Age, and in due time like unto a
> rose, may blossom out, unfold, and proclaim his existence in the garden of God
> under the care and protection of the Divine Gardener. This cannot be achieved
> by force or by any form of compulsion, just as the child's birth cannot be
> realized by outside forces. We never try to pull the flower out of its stem in
> winter. The flowers will adorn the stems in due time, according to rules and
> regulations especially conferred upon the plants by the Creator.
> 
> Let us illustrate this by giving an example. The children who grow up in
> houses where the music of Mozart or Beethoven is often played surely grow to
> enjoy that kind of music. This is achieved because the atmosphere of the house
> was filled with such melodies. The child has breathed them in. As a matter of
> fact this united aim becomes a focus which brings parents very close to each
> other.
> 
> Should the parents read the Writings each morning and evening as commanded by
> the Ancient Beauty; hold firesides in their homes where they show love, respect
> and reverence to the people regardless of race, class and creed; recite the
> obligatory prayers; fact; attend the Nineteen Day Feasts; celebrate the nine
> Holy Days; and in all of these commemorations have the children comprehend the
> importance and significance of each act, then there remains nothing for the
> parents to fear. They will proudly watch the growing flowers in their own
> homes. Thus the spirit of the Cause will fill every layer in the atmosphere of
> the house. The warmth and light of this divine love emanated from such a home
> will definitely help the little ones to grow into fruitful trees in the Garden
> of God, and in due course they will proclaim not only by their words but also
> by the sanctity of their deeds that they are gathered under the banner of the
> Greatest Name; committed to be soldiers in the army of life, winning victories
> in the forefront of the battle lines of teaching, consolidation and pioneering
> fields of service.
> 
> Our Writings further indicate that expectant mothers are advised to recite the
> words of God to foster the spiritual growth of the conceived children. After
> the birth of the child, the mother is exhorted to say prayers as she puts her
> dear ones to bed. The influence of these words on the infants' hearts has been
> described as the influence of the light and the heat of sunshine on the growing
> flowers. As the children grow, the parents are called on to each them the
> Words of God. At the age of five they are to be gathered together to receive
> divine education. We clearly observe that education is emphasized and is given
> the first rank in the order of importance. It is explicitly recommended to
> first teach the children courtesy and reverence, after which comes the
> acquisition of knowledge.
> 
> Need for Early Spiritual Training
> 
> Knowledge must go hand in hand with divine education, otherwise man's learning
> will be governed by greed and lust. These qualities will change science into a
> disgrace and bring about the eternal destruction of all man's achievements.
> `Abdu'l-Bahá, in His love for children, begs the friends to do their
> utmost to give proper Bahá'í education to their dear ones so they
> may understand the importance of the practice of its precepts in their lives.
> He promises that the children trained in the divine gardens of love and in
> homes imbued with the Bahá'í spirit will learn in one month what
> others will learn in twelve. He urges the parents to be diligent in directing
> the frail steps of their little ones to the path of eternal glory. All of this
> should be done with tender affection, loving care and kindness. He warns us
> against beating the children and making them the victims of tongue lashings and
> rebukes. Experience shows that such treatment is detrimental to the proper
> growth of the child's mental, spiritual and even his physical powers; it dams
> the opening and inflow of his latent powers. In addition, he grows to hate his
> home and all that pertains to it.
> 
> We must always remember this fundamental principle of the Master affirming
> that education of the child who is more than fifteen is extremely difficult
> and, in some cases, impossible. Can we straighten a branch when it has become
> hard and stiff? Such children, we are warned by the Master, will be left in
> the abyss of misery, the victims of inequity, arrogance, pride and ignorance,
> and very often of mental deficiencies. They will be despised and humiliated,
> sick and invalid and forever ashamed of themselves. They will barely pass the
> tests of life.
> 
> What will they think of their parents who had the torch of guidance and did
> not try to show it to their loved ones?
> 
> Parents who thus reduce their offspring to such depths of misery through their
> negligence will surely be responsible to God. We are emphatically warned by
> the Ancient Beauty that He will charge the parents with this negligence and
> will consider this as a great sin--a sin which will never be forgiven.
> 
> The injunction of Bahá'u'lláh to parents about the divine
> education of their children is so emphatic that, as pointed out by Him, those
> who ignore such a responsibility are, in the sight of God, deprived of their
> rights of parenthood.
> 
> I appeal to the hearts of the parents who desire nothing but the welfare of
> their children, the apples of their eyes, or, as the Arabs say, "the fragments
> of their hearts which walk on earth." I supplicate them to ponder upon the
> conditions prevailing in the world and find out for themselves whether children
> need protection or whether they should be left to themselves and to the cruel
> influence of life.
> 
> That the world is too much with us and that society is overcome by many social
> diseases no sound mind can ever deny. Pollution has penetrated into all the
> pores of man's existence and the swamps of moral corruption have flooded the
> farthest and driest deserts and the most remote corners of every barren waste.
> Carnal desires and animal passions are unleashed and all aim to be gratified.
> Gratification of this beast of lust is to be fulfilled by all means--at the
> risk of breaking every sacred standard in man's life. To accede to the desires
> of self has become a universal verdict.
> 
> Plunged into this overtly immoral world, where the raging beast of lust is the
> domineering monarch, caught in the throes of its devilish machinations, unable
> to separate the diabolical from the divine, and almost insensible to benevolent
> love, pity and reverence, our children, our poor children, find themselves
> engulfed by their own urges within and hypnotized by their dazzling and
> alluring lights. Don't they need lamps at their feet, an inherent and powerful
> force to enable them to live as true men, to walk with celestial pride and to
> lead a clean, a holy and pure life as a prelude to the eternal one?
> 
> Protection of Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings
> 
> Whatever the explanation the world may give and however it justifies its
> present plight, it is crystal clear to the adherents of our Faith that the road
> projected by Bahá'u'lláh through this world enveloped in darkness
> is illumined by the protective measures of His teachings.
> 
> The unpardonable forgetfulness and negligence of parents in their attitude
> toward their children are the result of wrong deductions and will ultimately
> bring the children to the abyss of disgrace and shame, and in the life to come
> will hold them subject to God's justice.
> 
> If we live in a house without a lamp, the consequences of unseen troubles and
> even disasters will no doubt await us. If we do not ignite the fire of faith
> in the hearts of our little ones, the decline of their mental, physical and
> spiritual lives will immediately set in. Where there is light everything is
> properly placed and clearly seen; and the residents of the house can use
> everything with proper perspective. The same thing is true of the light of
> faith when ignited in the hearts and souls of children. Then all their
> God-given gifts, talents and capacities will function harmoniously and
> efficiently.
> 
> As the immense horizon of life stretches in front of our children's eyes, we
> see them torn between two forces. The one pulls them down to the point where
> all their pleasures turn into agony, and the other, symbolized by a voice
> within them, which seeks to life them to summits of splendors where even death
> is changed into glory and eternity. Look at them with their expectant,
> innocent and bewildered eyes, undecided amidst the controversial and devouring
> forces of life. Do we sit comfortably in our seats as Roman spectators and
> watch human lives thrown into the mouths of beasts? Or, as honest parents, do
> we help them, guide them, and assist them to raise their eyes and behold the
> rising Sun of Glory?
> 
> Backbiting Quenches the Spirit
> 
> From my experience I know of one calamity which pitilessly brings gradual
> death to the growing spirit of our children. This disaster is very often an
> undesired guest, but alas, sometimes is invited, given the best seats--our
> hearts--and is offered the sweetest moments of our precious lives. It is like
> the freezing breeze of midwinter which passes through almond groves, kills the
> blossoms and leaves the poor farmers who were comfortably settled in their warm
> rooms, poverty-stricken and sorrowful.
> 
> This hideous intruder is backbiting. No matter how much we endeavor to bring
> up our children in the spirit of the Faith, to teach them its laws, principles
> and precepts, if there is the slightest whisper of backbiting in our homes, let
> us be sure that our dear little ones are gone forever and irretrievably
> lost.
> 
> The perilous effects are so imperceptible that one's own ego is not warned and
> the parents are not alerted to the symptoms of the spreading spiritual ailment.
> One of the old teachers of the Cause used to say that we try to pull a very
> heavy load to the top story of the house, and when the load is up, an ignorant
> man applies the sharp edge of his knife to the rope carrying the load. The
> downfall is sure. All the efforts of the many laborers who pulled the load are
> lost forever and in one instant. The same thing is true of the poisonous
> atmosphere created by this hideous guest in our own abode.
> 
> We think the children are playing with their toys and are not paying attention
> to what we are saying. It may be true that they do not consciously respond to
> the conversation of their elders, but their eyes see and their ears hear and
> register things within.
> 
> The children's hearts and souls are like clean mirrors or containers of pure,
> crystal and translucent water. Every word uttered by us against other friends,
> like a drop of ink, sinks deep into the transparent hearts. At the beginning,
> the color may not seem to have changed, but we know that it is absorbed with
> all its poisonous effects. Should the drops of the poison be repeated, the
> child's whole existence becomes victim to a spiritual disease, the first
> symptoms of which are his reluctance to attend Bahá'í classes,
> his grudges, and even sometimes his hatred, toward other
> Bahá'ís.
> 
> What do we expect our children to do when we as elders sit in our homes and
> talk against our fellow Bahá'ís, members of committees and local
> Spiritual Assemblies, and perhaps the secretary or a member of the National
> Assembly? The children look up to these divine institutions and we lower them
> to the dust in their growing minds and loving hearts. Then when they are of
> age, they do not feel any sense of security and safety in the friends' homes,
> nor do they trust Bahá'í committees, local Spiritual Assemblies
> or the National Spiritual Assembly. That is why, when we ask them to attend
> classes or summer schools, their reaction is obviously antagonistic. It is
> exactly as if we paralyze the child and then ask him to run, or starve him and
> then demand the performance of athletic feats.
> 
> METADATA
> 
> Views11453 views since posted 2010-06-17; last edit 2025-01-30 08:22 UTC;
> 
> previous at archive.org.../faizi_divine_education
> Language
> English
> Permission
> fair use
> Share
> 
> Shortlink: bahai-library.com/3831
> Citation: ris/3831
> 
> 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
>
> — *Divine Education: The Root of Knowledge (Used by permission of the curator)*