# Obedience

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Darius K. Shahrokh, Obedience, bahai-library.com.
> ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
> 
> OBEDIENCE
> 
> By Darius K. Shahrokh,M.D.
> May 1995
> 
> Through this window from these windows to the past we will examine the subject
> of obedience. Also, we will see, who do we obey, why should we obey, and
> how obedience, instead of binding with limitation, will lead us all to true
> liberty.
> 
> This talk was inspired from a speech by Judge James Nelson and many segn-ents
> of it are directly quoted from The Revelation of &'ulll&       by Adib
> Taherzadeh.
> 
> In an attempt to cover the subject adequately it was decided to address it
> in the following order:
> - The Most Great Infallibility, authority and knowledge of I3a.h; ' u ' llh,
> 
> - Obedience to 6' u ' llh,
> - The Covenant of God with humanity,
> - Finally the paradox of law being the instrument of liberation and
> not limitation.
> p.2   OBEDIENCE
> 
> Before talking about the sensitive issue of obedience, let us use the vantage
> point of this window and view a revealing and remarkable garden laid open
> before us.   In this very vast and lush garden, every beauty and pleasure
> 
> is available and every desire and appetite could be satisfied. Your
> imagination can draw the picture.
> 
> On the far end of this garden is heaven which is the object and the goal.
> Imagine two people are standing at the entrance gate. This garden, though
> breathtaking, is not free of dangers. There are traps of self and ego,
> vicious serpents of vice, thorny paths of pride and passion, and minefields
> of lust and desire. Then there are those animals in the thick of the lush
> 
> and tall grass. Some are tamed and could safely be touched but some are
> the entertaining animals of backbiting or drugs which will tear you apart
> and devour your body and soul. Let us not forget that evil one, the creeping
> monster of alcohol.
> 
> It sounds challenging and interesting, but rather scary.
> 
> One onlooker is anxious and can't wait to charge in and satisfy his sensuality
> with every pleasure in sight.   The only warning for him is a sign posted
> at the gate which states: BEWARE / P I T F U . He is lucky if he could see
> or read the sign. The other person has a map indicating all the danger zones,
> traps and pitfalls. Better yet he has faith and trust in the map-maker.
> Which one has true liberty and feels free? Which one would you rather be?
> p. 3 OBEDIENCE
> 
> Well, Friends! The garden of life with all its pleasures and challenges
> is ours.    The choices are ours. We can feel free to go charging through
> and hope for the best or use the guide map, trusting its Divine Author.
> 
> This is a good time to talk about the authority, infallibility and knowledge
> of the Divine Author, ~ a h 'gu ' llk.
> 
> In the ~itb-i-~qdas , Bahs'u'll&     declares the doctrine of the Most Great
> Infallibility of the Manifestations of God and that no one else can possess
> it.    It is the inherent characteristic of the Manifestation of God, the
> same way that light and heat are inherent to the sun.       The reason that His
> power is hidden behind the veil of His human temple is that if His naked
> glory were to be openly revealed, all human beings would instantly recognize
> Him and by so doing they would lose their free will and become puppets of
> 
> God.   However, Bah~'u'll& at times revealed a measure of His hidden glory
> to those who had recognized Him for further certitude and confirmation.
> 
> There are many stories.
> 
> Just one story at this time will suffice.
> When the Hand of the Cause and the silver-tongued poet (Ali-~u@nmd~ a r q i
> 
> who eventually with his 1 2 year old son R&U' llh, drank the cup of martyrdom,
> attained the presence of Baha'utll& for the first time in '6
> he ,
> found
> d ' u 'll&' s face very familiar, as if he had seen Him before. He was losing
> sleep trying to remember w h e r e he had seen Him.   In a market place?   In the
> 
> believers' gatherings?      He could not remember until after several times
> p. 4    OBEDIENCE
> in His presence, Bah;'u1 ll&       told him, " ~arq;, burn away the idols of vain
> imagining."    All of a sudden he remembered his chidhood dream.       As a child
> 
> he saw in his dream that he was playing in the courtyard with some dolls
> when God appeared to him and took his dolls and burned them in a fire.
> 
> When he woke up, he told his parents about his dream. He was told that no
> one could ever see God and he must not repeat it, so he forgot all about
> it.
> 
> Yes, that was when he had seen the face of &'ul          ll&.    Imagine, that was
> 15 or 20 years earlier when ~ah~'u'll&h
> was in ~ac&hdd.           He appeared in
> that child's dream, and infused in him such a potientiality that later on
> made him an Apostle of Ba&'ul ll&         and a Hand of the Cause.
> 
> Another day when at the presence of h ' u 'll&         in adoration, a thought
> occurrred to him that of course he recognized Bahi'u'll6h as the Supreme
> Manifestation, but how grateful he would be if d ' u ' ll&       in the course
> of His conversation would show him a sign. At that m e n t , like a flash
> a sentence from the Qur'an came to his mind.         So, his wish was that if
> Bah&'ull l h in the course of His conversation would mention that verse.
> It did not take too long before Bah&'ulll& mentioned the very same verse.
> Now listen to this. ~arqgwas delighted. He was overjoyed but told himself
> that it may have been a mere coincidence.         Abruptly, 13ah~'u111& turned
> to him and said,     "   h a m &f i n&d    "   meaning " Wasn't this sufficent proof
> to you? "     He was dumbfounded, was shaken but assured.       No wonder later
> on, he begged &'ul        llh that he and one of his sons could be accepted as
> a sacrifice for 'Abdu' 1-Bahi when he heard Bah;' u ' l l h praising the station
> P- 5       OBEDIENCE
> of 'bdu'l-F?ahi. With this glance at the hidden glory of &'ulll&,       he
> reached the pinnacle of faith and certitude which is difficult for many of
> us to comprehend.
> 
> One believer, iqg ~i&-i-~a'idati, stated that in the gathering of friends
> if &'ul     l l h turned his face to a believer, that person was unable to
> to gaze upon His countenance. (Revelation of F?aha1u'lliih,
> Vol III,p.303)
> 
> llah used to look to the right side of the person as he
> Therefore, ~ahi'u'
> spoke, so the friends might find it easier to look at His face, and if He
> ever turned His face towards the friends, He would close His eyes and speak.
> 
> I can tell you the story of ~s&'~l, who looked into Bah~'ulll&'s eyes and
> saw one hundred thousand sunlight and billowing seas surging upon His
> countenance. Later, he ended his own life because he had seen a glimpse
> of the glory of Bah~'ulll&, and could no longer bear the burden of this
> life.     I wish there was time to tell you in detail.
> 
> There are many passages in His Writings about His exalted station; that He
> is the Supreme Manifestation and the Inaugurator of the Day of God.
> 
> i. He corrected
> Siyyid ~ihdi~~fah&, an influential person, became a 6'
> many of his bad habits and shortcomings, as all of us try to, but could not
> overcome his addiction to alcohol.    When the believers would smell alcohol
> on his breath, he would say in defense, I' This addiction is very strong.
> I do it in the privacy of my home and harm no else. Besides, I am too lowly
> P* 6           OBEDIENCE
> a servant for h ' u 'll&        to be concerned about my private life. "     Don't
> 
> many of us think the same way?         Finally he was permitted to go for
> pilgrimage. One day as he and other believers were in the presence of
> ~ahi'u'
> l l b while Bahi'u'll&        was pacing back and forth, a thought occurred
> 
> to Siyyid ~ i h d             that it is true that &'ulll&       is a great prophet,
> but he wondered what He meant when He stated, "I am the Sender of the
> Messengers and the Revealer of the Books        ?')   He had not finished his thought
> when Bah;'ul ll&     walked to him, put His blessed hand on his should and said,
> M;~~PI:
> "   Siyyid, it is true,We are the Sender of the Messengers and the Revealer
> A
> 
> of the heavenly Books. "          With this he became transformed and accepted
> d ' u 'll&     with every fiber of his being.         Upon his return, no more smell
> of alcohol on his breath, and upon inquiry, he told the friends that if
> d l u ' l l & could read his mind, surely He could see his actions. He indeed
> is Omnipresent and Omniscient.
> 
> While J3ah;'u1llh dealt with the believers with kindness and mercy, He did
> not respond positively to those who did not believe in Him yet demanded a
> miracle. He dealt with sovereigns and religious leaders with authority.
> 
> In the ~itab-i-Aqdasrevealed while a prisoner in confines of a small room,
> He addressed the kings in a language ringing with authority. He states,
> "   0 kings of earth!      He Who is the sovereign Lord of all is come. The Kingdan
> is God's.    .. Ye are but vassals, 0 kings of the earth! He Who is the King
> of Kings hath appeared, arrayed in His most wondrous glory, and is summoning
> you unto Himself, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. "          (~i&-i-A~das,
> para. 78, 82)
> p. 7        OBEDIENCE
> His warning to all religious leaders in the KitL-i-~~das
> starts with
> "Say: 0 leaders of religion! Weigh not the Book of God with such standards
> and sciences as are current amongst you, for the Book itself is the unerring
> Balance established amongst men. .I' .                   para. 99)
> (~iti;b-i-A~das,
> 
> Concerning His ever-present, supernatural knowledge,          ' u ' lfah addressing
> /
> 
> Nabil-i-Akbar in the Tablet of Wisdom or Lawh-i-yikmat reveals the following
> words ' I . . .whenever We desire to quote the saying of the learned and the wise,
> presently there will appear before the face of thy Lord in the form of a
> tablet all that which hath appeared in the world and is revealed in the Holy
> Books and Scriptures.       Thus do We set down in writing that which the eye
> perceiveth, Verily, His knowledge encompasseth the earth and the heavens.
> This is a Tablet wherein the Pen of the Unseen hath inscribed the knowledge
> of all that hath been and shall be - a knowledge that none other but my
> wondrous tongue can interpret. "
> 
> /
> No wonder He could reveal the K i h - i - ~ ~ aorn the Book of Certitude containing
> over 200 pages within the span of 48 hours without a single reference book.
> 
> Now that we trust ~aha'lu'
> ll& 's knowledge, wisdom and authority, obedience
> should follow, but we often confuse the two subjects of obedience and
> freedom.
> Many think that freedom means freedom to disobey or go rampant while
> &'u'       l l h states that this kind of freedom belongs to the animal kingdom.
> " Liberty must, in the end, lead to sedition,
> He states in the ~i&b-i-A~das
> whose flames none can quench. Thus warneth you He Who is the Reckoner, the
> P- 8             OBEDIENCE
> All Knowing. Know ye that the embodiment of liberty and its symbol is the
> animal. That which beseemeth man is submission unto such restraints as will
> 
> protect him from his own ignorance and guard him against the harm of the
> 
> mischief maker. Liberty causeth man to overstep the bounds of propriety,
> and to infringe on the dignity of his station. It debaseth him to the level
> 
> of extreme depravity and wickedness. "
> 
> ^I"s-
> -31,
> Who do we obey and where does it stop? The county, state or federal laws?
> How about ah^'; laws? All constituted civil laws must be obeyed. You know
> why? Because Bahi'u'll&          has abolished and forbidden anarchy. He states,
> "      What mankind needeth in this day is obedience unto them that are in
> authority, and a faithful adherence to the cord of wisdom. The instruments
> which are essential to the Mediate protection, the security and assurance
> of human race have been entrusted to the hands, and lie in the grasp, of
> A2
> the governors of human society. This is the wish of God and His decree.
> (Gleanings, p. 207)
> 
> Is there a place that ~ " u llt
> '& sanctions disobedience? Yes, there is.
> The only law which Bahg'is are required to disobey is wherever they are
> /   '
> c m d e d to recant their Faith, meaning to say " I am not a Baha'i. "
> /   '
> In this regard, the Universal House of Justice states "...Baha'is must live
> the &'i           life, fully and continuously, unless prevented by the authorities.
> If local, state, or federal authorities actively prohibit I3ahA'; life or
> some aspect of it, the &'is          must suhnit to these requirements in all cases
> except where a spiritual principle is involved, such as denial of faith.
> '
> This, Baha'is cannot do under any circumstances. " (Lights of Guidance,
> I
> 
> 1983, p. 336)
> P* 9        OBEDIENCE
> Unfortunately, the believers in Iran have had and still face this cruel
> requirement, but as E&'u       ' l l h describes them, they would rather lay down
> a thousand lives than breathe the word desired by their enemies.
> 
> We have to becane so conscious about obeying our civil laws that we will
> shine in this society. We must act and live with such integrity that the
> 
> world notices the transforming power of the words of E3aha"utllh.
> 
> As for obeying ah;' i laws, Shoghi ~ffendiknowing that the Persian believers
> had been brought up in a society where the significance of religious laws
> 
> were understood, directed the Spiritual Assemblies to begin to enforce some
> of the laws of the Kit&-i-Aqdas.         He urged them not to compromise and to
> uphold the standard of justice and impartiality.
> 
> Up to now, only a few laws of the Ki&-i-Aqdas         have been given to the Western
> World.      Although parts of the Kit&-i-Aqdas were accessible in the
> translations by Shoghi Effendi, the first formal exposure of the Western
> World to the Kit&-i-Aqdas      was the release of the Synopsis and Codification
> of the Ki&i-Aqdas        in 1973, one hundred years after its revelation by
> E M & ' u ' llh.   The translation of the Kit&-i-Aqdas    into English which became
> available in 1993, has opened the door for its translation into all other
> languages except Persian.       As you know, originally the K i G - i - ~ ~ d awas
> s
> revealed in Arabic.
> p. 10        OBEDIENCE
> 
> Having the translation does not mean that all of the laws are mandatory to
> the Western believers.         Only as the Western believers mature and at the
> discretion of the Universal House of Justice, more laws will become
> 
> applicable.     Of course, it does not mean that we are prohibited from obeying
> some laws, such as saying ~ l l & - ~ - ~ b95
> h ~times daily.
> 
> About obedience to E3ah~'u1
> ll&,       at the opening paragraph of the ~i&-i-~qdas,
> He states that the first duty of every one is recognition of Himself as the
> Manifestation of God for today and the second duty is to obey His laws.
> These two are inseparable and one is not accepted without the other.
> That is why J3ah~'u1ll& has attached such significance to one of the
> principles of His faith, namely independent investagition of truth.
> So first we have to recognize His station and then as He also states in the
> ~i&-i-~qdas, obey His laws for the love of Him.          Therefore we do not
> obey His laws because of the fear of punishment or for reward in heaven.
> You know, attachment to reward for our good deeds and obedience is one of
> the three attachments we must detach ourselves from.          The other one is
> 
> attachment to self and ego which is the worst, and the last one is
> attachment to the Kingdom of Names, meaning feeling superior or boasting
> about acquiring various attributes of God, such as generosity, kindness,
> justice and many others.
> 
> The fact that ~aha'lu   'll&   does not accept recognition of His station alone
> without obedience to His laws is unique in the E3ahi1iFaith.
> Some Christian sects claim that belief alone is sufficient for salvation.
> P. 11           OBEDIENCE
> First we have to know Him, then with trust and love for Him, we obey Him.
> When He states read His writings twice a day, we must do it.      This    and
> 
> the obligatory prayer are the major keys to let &'ul      l l h get close to
> 
> us.      Doesn't He state in The Hidden Words, I' 0 Son Being! Love Me, that
> I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee.
> Know this, 0 servant. I'       The more we read, the mre we know and love Him.
> The m r e we love Him, the more we obey and so on. This could be called a
> righteous cycle.      The vicious cycle i$ot   obeying and gradually drifting
> away, and I tell you, those who have become believers and then allow
> smthing or someone rob them of their love for &'ulll&          are in deep
> trouble.
> 
> You might say, Well, this is blind obedience which I and my ancestors have
> abhorred and is against my individual rights.     With spiritual decline of
> today and abuse of power by corrupt authorities and leaders, you have many
> 
> sympathizers who look upon the word obedience with suspicion and fear.
> Upon hearing that word, dictatorship, blind acceptance and religious
> fanatacism come to their mind.     Such fears are well understood and are
> justifiable.     Look at the recent events and abuse by false prophets and
> corrupt leaders.      The voice of religious leaders which in the past inspired
> 
> people is now heard mostly with indifference or hostility.     The reason is
> that with the coming of &'ul     ll&,   religious leaders have become fallen
> stars.     Listen to His momentous prophecy while these leaders were at the
> peak of power and authority, and He was just a prisoner, I
> ' From two ranks
> amongst men power hath been seized: kings and ecclesiastics. I
> '
> p. 12          OBEDIENCE
> In Baha"ul llh's messages to Christian leaders, He declared "ye are the
> stars of the heaven of My knowledge. My mercy desireth not that ye should
> fall upon the earth. "       "When I came unto them, in My majesty, however,
> they turned aside from Me.     They, verily, are of the fallen."      ( Promised
> 
> Day is Come, p. 19, 105)
> 
> As one studies human behavior, one sees that people wholeheartedly obey any
> person or institution when it seems to be in their self-interest to do so.
> The same person who rebels against blind obedience follows the highway signs
> to get to his destination or a patient who trusts his physician, follows
> his advice even if it is amputation of a limb to save his life.     Likewise,
> I3aha'';s do not advocate blind obedience, but as we meditate on the allencompassing scope of the Revelation of Baha"ul llih and attain more mature
> understanding, we can then see clearly that it is in our self-interest to
> obey His laws.     As in the garden analcgy at the start of this presentation,
> we recognize   ah;'u'llhlsknowing the path and showing us the way.
> We cannot recognize and accept Him as the skilled Divine Physician for mankind
> and neglect or ignore His prescription.      When He says twice a day reading
> of His verses, that is it.     Just do it.    It does you good and the effect is
> guaranteed.
> H
> Now let us discuss the covenant of God with us.     Mankind physically is an
> animal and bound by the laws of nature, but is also a spiritual being and
> therefore bound to the Covenant of God with him.
> In every covenant there are two parties involved.     The mere act of creation
> brings about the Covenant of God with each individual which has two sides.
> p. 13           OBEDIENCE
> God on His part creates us in His own image which means bestowing upon us
> the capacity to reflect His attributes.      He provides us with our physical
> needs in this life and sends His Messengers to guide us so we may grow closer
> to God.
> 
> The part that we, who have free will, have to play in this covenant is to
> be conscious of these bounties, to recognize His Manifestations as Divine
> Teachers and abide by His teachings and laws.
> The covenant of God is similar to the terms which a school principal lays
> down for the students. The m e n t a child walks into a school, he, without
> 
> knowing it, enters into a covenant with the principal.      Again, this covenant
> has two sides.     The principal provides the educationa$eeds,    appoints the
> teachers and draws up a program.     The part that the child plays is to learn
> the lessons and follow the instructions.     Only in this way he acquires
> knowledge.
> The terms of this covenant are drawn up by the principal and the child has
> no say in it.     The princippal is strong, knowledgeable and wise.
> The purpose of doing our part of the Covenant with God is to become a
> spiritual being and acquire eternal life.      In view of past discussion,
> 
> we acknowledge the authority, knowledge and wisdombpf        'u ' ll&;   therefore
> we will observe His commandments for love of His beauty.
> 
> Now a few words about reward and punishment.     In La@-i-~aq~;d, which is
> ' ll&
> one of the supplementary tablets to the ~i&-i-~~das, ~ahd'u              states,
> "   The structure of world stability and order hath been reared upon, and will
> continue to be sustained by the twin pillars of reward and punishment. "
> p. 14          OBEDIENCE
> He has authorized the House of Justice to legislate new laws and modify the
> punishments He has set for certain crimes such as arson and murder.
> l ~the same tablet states, I' Justice hath a mighty force at
> E Q h ~ ' u l l in
> its c o m d . It is ,none other than reward and punishment for the deeds of
> men. By the power of this force, the tabernacle of order is established
> throughout the world ..I1
> In the present-day society, justice is not served.      The tendency is towards
> leniency, reudction of sentence, and to try to direct the blame on the
> society.    As we witness, violence and crime have increased at alarming rate.
> The teachings of E3ah&'u1ll&     advocate the opposite attitude.   Many people
> today could disagree with E&'ulll&'s       teaching in this regard.        They would
> rather advocate leniency and forgiveness instead of punishment, because they
> are mainly concerned about this physical life and are not taking into account
> the eternal, spiritual life.
> To demonstrate the benefits to the soul when a person receives his punishment
> in this life, d l u ' l l & gives the following example. ~f a man steals the
> seed of a plant from someone in springtime and returns it soon, he does not
> owe the owner anything mre, but if he waits until surrnner, he owes the owner
> a plant with its fruits.       Similarly, the burden of sin is much lighter is
> the sinner receives his punishment in this life.
> 
> As for kindness and forgiving an act of crime, the following story will shed
> scme light on the subject.      ~awh-i-Duny; (The Tablet of the World) was
> revealed in honor of        ~irzgiqs-i-~fn&, titled ~&id'-Dzn.
> #'
> 
> This tablet was revealed after nine days that the pen of E3aha"u1llah had
> been stilled due to the martyrdom of seven believers in Yazd in 1891, one
> p. 15                  OBEDIENCE
> year before His ascension.               In that tablet, He stated that He was so
> overjoyed and grateful to God that His exhortations have had such effect
> on His followers that the believers interceded on behalf of their enemies.
> To appreciate this statement, the following explanation will help.
> /   Z
> 
> In those days, lived the generation of believers who were previously Babis
> and following 1 s l h c tradition used to draw their swords in their defense.
> Such a transformation, to be martyred without defense and then the relatives
> interceding on behalf of the murderers is worthy of appreciation.
> The story behind this statement is as follows:
> 
> H&     Muhammad ~ic$ attained the presence of &'ul                ll&       in 'A.
> /
> He begged EIah~'u1
> llah to accept him as a martyr.              Bal&'ul ll&           told him it
> was not necessary as many souls already had sacrificed their lives, but
> ,
> he was very insistent and to his second request, Bah;'ulllahremained
> I   '
> 
> silent.Haji took His silence as a sign of consent.                Later he asked
> /
> 
> &'ulll&                 to assign him to go to a city. 13ah~'u111ah
> told him to go to
> 
> /       /
> On July 1, 1889, Haji had invited all believers of '
> lshq&'d                       to a feast.
> On that day, he received a tablet £ran &'u1ll&                honoring and blessing
> him for his services and assured him that his deeds were manifest before
> Him.       In that tablet, He states that a great upheaval has occurred in that
> city and described it as an attack of a serpent on a believer who is the
> recipient of the bounties of his Lord.
> ,'   /
> 
> This tablet was read to the friends gathered in that feast.                       Mirza Abu'l-
> /
> Fad1 who was present explained that since ~ahg'u'
> llah used the past tense,
> ,'                    .'
> it was an absolute and inevitable.              Haji Mu@mnad-Ri+ got up and said he
> believed that he was the one whose martyrdom ~aha"u'll&                     foretold.
> l          /   /
> IsJqabad               was a new city in Russian ~urkamanistgnclose to the
> border of Iran.
> p. 16           OBEDIENCE
> Many persecuted ~ahg'
> is found it peaceful, but the progress of the Faith
> aggravated the Muslims in that city, who plotted the assassination of a number
> of prominent believers.         About five weeks after the day that the tablet
> was read, two Muslims attacked H& i in the marketplace with daggers and
> stabbed him 32 times amidst great jubilation of the crowd who watched.
> 
> They were seen to lick their daggers. Russian police came and took them
> into custody.     On discovering the plots, the believers sent a petition to
> the government which investigated, and after trial sentenced the two murderers
> to be killed by hanging and the rest of the plotters to life in Siberia.
> This was unusual for Muslims who used to be rewarded by Persian authorities
> for killing 6'
> :s.            The family of the murderers and prominent Muslim
> merchants begged the believers for intercession.       A gathering of prominent
> believers was called and after consultation they told the government their
> request for reduction of the sentence.       This was kept a secret by the
> government.     The day of the execution arrived.     The gallows were erected
> and the graves were dug.       The prisoners were led to the scaffolds.
> When the moment came, the official of the government announced that because
> of intercession of the honorable &'is,        the sentence was reduced to life
> in Siberia.
> 
> This was the act that pleased ~aha"u'll&      and He called it a princely act
> because the believers obeyed His injunction against the use of sword in
> retaliation.     However, it should be understood that l3ahg1;s do not advocate
> leniency and reduction of punishment for crime.       '~bdu'l-E&   has made it
> clear that the victims have no right to forgive the punishment for a crime
> since suffering from the punishment is negligible compared to the benefits
> 
> for the protection of society.      (Paris Talks, p. 154)
> p. 17             OBEDIENCJ2
> 
> And now the paradox of law as the instrument of liberation.
> In this Dispensation, I3ah;'u1ll&       has changed the meaning of law.
> The dictionary describes law as rule of conduct enforced by a controlling
> authority.       ~ ' u ' l l in
> h the ~ i t b - i - ~ ~ dstates,
> as     " Think not that We
> 
> have revealed unto you a mere code of laws.        Nay, rather, We have unsealed
> the Choice Wine with the fingers of might and power. 'I
> We might superficially consider this verse as poetic and beautiful but neglect
> the metaphor.     With this sentence, ~aha"u'llk has opened a new phase in
> the spiritual evolution and moral transformation of mankind.
> What does the Choice Wine have to do with law?        In 1s1&   and the 6'
> 
> Faith drinking of wine is forbidden.         Obviously, the metaphor gives the
> spiritual analogy of a good and strong wine.        Instead of binding with
> limitation the one who drinks it, it eliminates inhibition and gives the
> feeling of liberation.         Similarly, the Choice Wine of E3ah6'u111&'s laws
> will free and liberate those who obey them.
> With transformation of human nature, Bah&'u'llhls laws will become a part
> of our conscience, freeing us from our baser nature.
> 
> You see, motivation for avoiding wrong-doing and crime is based on spiritual
> strength and moral value.         Protection is built from within and not by
> erecting walls outside.         This is a novel concept of law as the instrument
> of liberation.
> The primary agent for enforcement of d ' u 'llb's laws is not fear, but
> the love of His beauty.        And if there is fear, it is not the fear of fire
> 
> of hell as taught in some other religions, but the fear of displeasing the
> 
> One wo love.
> OBEDIENCE
> In every civilized country there are bounds of constitutional law.
> 
> To overstep such bounds brings anarchy.   6' u' ll&   offers His laws and
> 
> ordinances which provide ample liberty within its framework.
> Friends, as was said at the beginning, the garden of life is ours,
> % obey
> let us choose/(the Divine Guide.
> 
> end.
>
> — *Obedience (Used by permission of the curator)*